Should we follow the SCRUM scripture to the letter?

Over the last year, I have seen a trend over and over again. And to be honest, I have also been seduced by it. Follow the scrum guide to the letter and nothing else. Most of it comes from a simple note in the end, that says:

Scrum’s roles, events, artifacts, and rules are immutable and although implementing only parts of Scrum is possible, the result is not Scrum. Scrum exists only in its entirety…
scrumguides.org

Does this mean that implementing only parts of Scrum will bring no value to your organization? Of course not. But beware…

If you are starting, you should follow as much as possible. And when I say as much as possible it doesn’t mean, take out the parts that cause you pain, that’s the whole point of change. Use the Shu Ha Ri concept.

Remember, each of the elements of Scrum exists with a specific purpose. If you take one part out, you will not be reaping the benefits of that element.

So my advice is, do it carefully. Experiment. Gather metrics and knowledge. See what works best for you. Don’t follow the scripture blindly.