Scrum Diversity

I recently browsed through some of the profiles on the Scrum Alliance wiki for the November 2005 Scrum Gathering in Boulder, Colorado, and was impressed by the range of experiences and desires described there. I had been giving some thought to why I like Scrum so much, and found some answers there. It is the community more than the "framework" that attracts me. There is a diversity, and a passion within the Scrum community that is a rare thing. Within the basic structure of Scrum, as outlined by its originators, many different people from many different backgrounds, in many different contexts are applying the principles in many different ways. There is guidance from the thought leaders, but few (if any) rules.

At recent Scrum Gathering Ken Schwaber described Scrum as "not a process or a methodology, but a path". I like this description; it is passionate and has inherent movement. Scrum is an ever-changing set of ideas, founded on some firm principles. As we do it, we get better at it and we adapt it. There are probably no two teams in the world practicing Scrum in the same way. Is that chaos? I don't think so. In Agile terms it is "edge of chaos". The Edge of Chaos is where creativity begins.

When I go into an organization to introduce Scrum, I feel like I am starting out on a journey, and that I won't be the same after the experience. My hope is that others - those I talk with, work with - will also be changed. Sometimes I see that happen. I have come to understand that it is futile to "present" Scrum; it needs to be introduced through dialog, through face to face interaction. Without that it is filtered into the "just another methodology I'm being sold" category. And perhaps rightfully so. Scrum is a conversation; it is banter, it is laughter, it is overcoming obstacles and having "aha!" moments. Scrum is people, it is not process. And that is why I like it so much.