Scrum theory has its base on empiricism, so what is this all about?
You may be familiar with the concept of empirical evidence.
It’s the knowledge that arrives by observing,gathering evidence, documenting patterns and behaviors. If you look back you can learn more.
In Greek the word ἐμπειρία (empeiría) means experience.
Scrums is founded on this, and we can see it in the 3 pillars that sustain scrum.
Transparency
Everything that we do must be shared in the open.
Sunlight is the best disinfectant
Louis_Brandeis
To gather empirical evidence we need to observe and annotate everything we do. Measure twice, cut once.
If we follow this, then we can look back and inspect.
Inspection
This is a very important one. We should inspect what we do, but not that frequently that it gets in the way of doing stuff.
Inspect what you expect
This is crucial for the empirical process, if we just gather information but never look at it, it provides zero value. In the world of “big data”, the data only has value if you look at it.
Without inspecting how it is going you cannot adapt to what is needed.
Adaptation
What to do after gathering evidence and inspecting it?
Two things may happen.
- You now have proof that what you are doing is working.
- You now have proof that what you are doing is not working.
If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.
Lao Tzu
With an empirical mindset, there are no excuses. You have the knowledge, the data, and the plan. It’s up to you to figure out what to do with it.
Cheers,
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