Scrum – Squeezes the last ounce of fat off that butt
Scrum. What comes to mind when you hear the word? Probably not much, although if you've sat at trendy seminars or been pumping iron with goal-directed marathon running execs, you might have some clue.
When I heard the term Scrum for the first time, I was attending the first round of competitive tendering for web site suppliers, and opposite me sat Druid Oy's Vice President Mikko, and Drupal Architect Arto. His dress shirt was making Arto uncomfortable. He actually said that he'd rather be coding than sitting there wearing that shirt, which made Mikko's brow furrow in concern. I was amused. I secretly admired the Druids for not acting like something other than what they were: they were professionals and they were themselves. At the end of the meeting, Mikko said that if we wanted to work with them, we would have to take on Scrum, a project management framework. I also remember a distinct mention of ceremonies and a Scrum Master. ”What the heck sort of a cult is that?” I asked our team after the meeting.
After thorough consideration and a quick Google search, we decided to take the plunge to the unknown and choose both the Druids and Scrum. Our team said "We do" to the Druids, and from there a common path of development begun. The process to change our operating procedures started with Scrum training, where Scrum Master Krisse inducted us to the cult. Um, no, wait. I mean Krisse gave us tools with which we could change our way of thinking and acting to be more agile and compatible with the way Scrum works. At the end of the training he said something about engineers that I managed not to hear out of self preservation. Finally we built an imaginary house with Scrum. Then we were ready.
If I could somehow encapsulate what it is to take on Scrum, I would say it's similar to starting a strict diet before a bikini fitness competition. If you want to get lean, you need to shed off all the extra fat and adhere to a certain routine when exercising.
It's a fact that when you're agile and strong, you can cross the most difficult obstacle course. Carrying out a weekly Scrum sprint develops those involuntary project muscles without any extra effort. After the initial strict pre-contest diet you move on to higher fat content and maintain your basic fitness. Now you're in "Scrum shape".
And that image of a cult, all dressed in robes, arranging ceremonies and running around capes aflutter? That part is true. The ceremonies are an integral part of Scrum's model of operation. They force the hardest of men to open up about their feelings to the team. Ceremonies are the skeleton of Scrum; without them, Scrum would just be a formless blob. Turning one's way of thinking agile is like the muscles of Scrum; it's what makes the skeleton move. Now you must be wondering what the skin of Scrum is. The skin of Scrum is the team; it's what turns the whole process beautiful and keeps it all together. I believe that Scrum is a living, breathing entity, not just a flowchart. The main thing is to whip your Scrum body into shape before the sprint, so that the sprinting goes smoothly.
I can personally recommend the Scrum model to anybody who's not afraid to challenge themselves. Anybody who's not afraid to be in "Scrum shape".
Jonna Tiainen is our customer.
