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Welcome to the inaugural cartoon on www.implementingscrum.com.
Since the original publication of this cartoon series (starting September 11, 2006) I have made a few updates to the content of this page.Nothing has materially changed since we started the series; if anything, I hope it adds clarification to the overall content! This story is the first in an ongoing series to help explain what Scrum “is.”
And.
What Scrum “is not.”
Will we get it correct all the time?
Probably not. And that is OK. The plan is for all of us to learn.
Your comments are always welcome.
So, why are we using a Chicken and Pig? The story depicted above, as weird as it is, helps me — and others — explain two of the main types of people in Scrum.
I am amazed that the Human Resource Departments of many companies I consult with have not shut down this example; it is probably only a matter of time. This is still the best example I know of to explain the roles, and this is what our cartoon series reflects.
The basic premise of the Chicken and the Pig can be seen from the cartoon example above.
Here is an easy definition of the Chickens versus Pigs.
A Pig is someone who has skin in the game. Mike Cohn aptly refers to the people in that role as, “Having their Bacon on the line.”
Pig roles are considered core team members. Performers. People who “do” work.
Get it?
I would consider the roles of both Product Owner and the ScrumMaster to be pigs on a team.
A Chicken is someone who has something to gain by the Pigs performing, but in the end, really do not contribute day to day to “getting things done.” Their “eggs” are a renewable resource, and many get laid (eggs that is).
I get asked the following question by many people when starting to use Scrum:
“Can I be a Pig and Chicken at the same time?”
No.
You cannot be a Pig and a Chicken at the same time.
This is something I work with middle managers who struggle with this on a daily basis. The concept takes coaching, and constant [gentle] reminders that they cannot be a Pig/Chicken. I call this a Pigkin… and it is something you do not want to see in any organization!
A video commentary of this cartoon can be viewed here (it was posted February 16, 2008):
Meet the rest of our cast in this series!
We will examine this and other issues in this series, as this is fun to see happen (sometimes sad WHILE it is happening, but funny to imagine).
I do hope the simplicity of the cartoon above gets the point across. Remember it. It will serve us well in the journey ahead.
Please send comments, questions, criticisms, ideas, or whatever here. You can also enter The Scrum Community to discuss this cartoon and other Scrum topics.
Thank you!
Originally Published:
September 11, 2006
Updated:
May 1, 200
October 23, 2007
February 16, 2008 (with Video)
More:
November 29, 2006
84 Comments! to “The Classic Story of the Pig and Chicken”
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November 7th, 2007 at 11:23 am
[...] ? ???? ??????? ?? ???????? ? ???????? ?????, ??? ? ?????? ????????? ???? ????????????? ????? ?? ??????? ?????? ????? ?? ?????????? ?? ??????? ??????? ? Scrum ???????. ????????? ???????? ?? ??????? ? ?????????, ????? ??????? ?? ???????? ?????? ??????. ????????? ???????? ?? ??????? ????????? ? ? ???? ?? ???????? ????? ? ???? (???????????? ham’n eggs). ?? ????? ??????? ???????? : “No thanks, I will be commited. But you’d only be involved!” [...]
November 19th, 2007 at 11:12 pm
[...] This week the comic depicts what a lot of Chickens struggle with. [...]
November 26th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
[...] If you are new here… or need a “refresher” on the Chicken and Pig story… go here (http://www.implementingscrum.com/blog/2006/09/11/the-classic-story-of-the-pig-and-chicken/) [...]
November 27th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
[...] [...]
December 12th, 2007 at 2:58 pm
[...] Step one is to break the team into “managers” (chickens) and “workers” (pigs). [...]
March 10th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
[...] [...]
July 3rd, 2008 at 11:11 am
[...] Mehr zur Herkunft des Titels “Chicken” knnt Ihr im Blog “Implementing Scrum” finden… [...]
July 25th, 2008 at 4:54 pm
[...] So in Scrum we talk about a number of terms and roles, the ones Im talking about today are the Product Owner, chickens and pigs. Chickens and Pigs: If you dont understand what Chicken and Pigs are within Scrum check out this great cartoon over on Implementing Scrum.com [...]
July 29th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
[...] “Uh, well tell me a story from the user’s perspective. We’ll collaborate on design and further detail the feature during the sprint period. And remember, you’re a pig and that guy over there’s a chicken.” [...]
September 18th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
[...] we struggled with various ways to maintain transparency so that we could satisfy our higher-ups (or the chickens in Scrum parlance) desire to know the status of our sprints and when we would be ready to deploy, [...]
October 31st, 2008 at 2:46 am
[...] First, some overdue credits: the good folks at Berteig Consulting has sent over a list of readings for the CSM course. Most of the information will be based from these materials. The cubic pig and chicken from the title graphic is the fine work of VladZ. As to why the pig and chicken are featured, see here. [...]
November 24th, 2008 at 10:14 am
Did you see today’s Dilbert?
December 15th, 2008 at 6:54 am
[...] Source: implementingscrum.com [...]
February 8th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
[...] wanted to take part as a pig rather than a chicken, to use a Scrum metaphor, so I held a talk myself, about continuous integration – how [...]
March 1st, 2009 at 2:05 pm
[...] de poucas semanas, diferentes pessoas me fizeram a mesma pergunta: o Product Owner é MESMO um Pig? Tem certeza? Adicionalmente a isto, tenho visto que grande parte dos clientes que visito, e que [...]
March 4th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
[...] stand-up. 15 minutes max. Only pigs are allowed to speak. Single team daily coordination. Answer 3 questions. 1. What did I complete [...]
March 16th, 2009 at 9:57 pm
[...] http://www.implementingscrum.com/ [...]
April 18th, 2009 at 10:46 am
[...] often makes reference to a classic joke regarding a pig and a chicken. The chicken wants to partner with the pig to start a restaurant. The pig says, “No [...]
May 7th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
[...] that is someone who contributes but isn’t committed. (Mike Vizdos has a great cartoon explaining the pig and chicken metaphor). Chickens can be anyone from an outside consultant or subject matter expert to a CEO. They [...]
May 15th, 2009 at 9:33 am
[...] uma tirinha criada pelo site implementingscrum.com (e traduzida pelo Leonardo Dantas) que explica a origem dos [...]
June 11th, 2009 at 8:10 am
[...] Among the other things we talk about so frequently in the Agile community is commitment. Do you know the story of the Pig and the Chicken? [...]
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:02 am
[...] http://www.implementingscrum.com/2006/09/11/the-classic-story-of-the-pig-and-chicken/ June 23rd, 2009 in Tips | tags: chicken, entrepreneurship, fable, pig, project, scrum, [...]
June 24th, 2009 at 4:36 am
[...] the Pig – popular in the literature for SCRUM – an Agile development methodology (see here). The Chicken goes to the Pig: “Let’s open a restaurant”. The Pig goes “I [...]
June 28th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
Let me know if I can add any information to your site as I have started many small businesses. And am currently running one!
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:47 pm
I love your son’s explanation. Very cute!
August 14th, 2009 at 1:35 am
[...] yesterday, I was chicken on 1.9.1, not pig. Most times I would remember to run 1.9 commands. Other times, I would be [...]
August 25th, 2009 at 8:38 am
[...] All employees interested and available can attend the meeting as “chickens“. [...]
September 11th, 2009 at 7:46 am
[...] scrummin eri rooleista. Heillä oli aika mielenkiitoisia näkemyksiä niistä ja erityisesti kanat ja siat naurattivat heitä. He epäilivät koodareiden olevan sikoja työympäristönsä [...]
September 27th, 2009 at 11:31 am
[...] September 27, 2009 Daily Scrum is for Pigs Posted by henriklarsson under agile, daily scrum, scrum Leave a Comment In the Scrum world people are committed or involved. See the Classic Story of the Pig and Chicken. [...]
October 5th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Työkalut…
Alla ransklaisin viivoin ja linkit projekteissa käytettäviin menetelmiin ja työkaluihin. Lisätietoa löyty seka Jabin Confluencesta, projektien kotisivuilta että muualta netistä etsimällä…….
October 19th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
[...] Cartoon: The Classic Story of the Pig and the Chicken (Explains roles in Scrum) This entry was written by Administrator, posted on October 19, 2009 at 1:26 pm, filed under News. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL. « Client – Utah Renaissance & Leadership Center [...]
November 19th, 2009 at 1:03 am
I have a translated version of Chinese(traditional) in my website.
I like this story.
Thank you for sharing.
November 26th, 2009 at 2:36 am
I like how your son put it. Check out the http://www.scrumedge.com logo.
February 25th, 2010 at 10:49 am
I am not endorsing this product — just wanted to say that logo is pretty cool
. Nice job!
March 4th, 2010 at 1:56 pm
Twitter Comment
The Pig and the Chicken [link to post]
– Posted using Chat Catcher
March 4th, 2010 at 5:39 pm
Twitter Comment
@chrisajenkins Thanks for the pointer to [link to post] Wow… it all really started for me with this posting
– Posted using Chat Catcher
March 5th, 2010 at 9:09 am
I dont know what you think, but i would not call the role of the product owner “pig”. The product owner has his role during planning, but once a commitment to the goal is made, it’s up to the team to deliver. PO attends daily scrums only as an observer. The team is a definitely commited pig.
March 5th, 2010 at 9:40 pm
Hmm…. I’d consider them a “pig” in that good ones are involved *daily* with the team to make minor course corrections and not have any surprises from the rest of the team
.
March 7th, 2010 at 9:30 pm
[...] PO atuando apenas como um envolvido, ou pior ainda, pouco cooperando com a [...]
April 3rd, 2010 at 7:38 am
[...] Let me present you the classic story of the pig and the chicken: [...]
April 25th, 2010 at 10:55 am
[...] encomendada, a ‘obra de arte’ é dele também. Sem essa compreensão eles deixam de se comprometer com sua [...]
May 4th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
Twitter Comment
Transcribing series of interviews on Strategic Alliances – one has #Bruce Acheson talking about the ham n egg alliance! [link to post]
– Posted using Chat Catcher
June 1st, 2010 at 8:36 am
Twitter Comment
Currently reading [link to post] by @mvizdos. Please RT.
– Posted using Chat Catcher
June 1st, 2010 at 11:04 am
Twitter Comment
Be the #Bacon: [link to post] by @mvizdos. Please RT.
– Posted using Chat Catcher
July 11th, 2010 at 8:30 pm
This is one of the most distasteful, divisive, and inaccurate stories in the world of software development. In most organizations, the only person putting the ability to feed their family on the line is the Product Owner or the Executive Sponsor of the project.
We pretend Agile is about Trust, and then we promote Chickens and Pigs as the very first story assuring we are establishing a low trust relationship with management. Are you kidding me? Is this really something we want to continue to promote – that we feel the developers are the only ones with anything on the line in spending the companies money trying to deliver value to our customers.
Dennis Stevens
July 12th, 2010 at 2:35 pm
Hi,
I appreciate the comment and understand that some people do not like this analogy. I specifically use this analogy to show the conversations between Team Members, Product Owners, and ScrumMasters are difficult. I am using this cartoon series (around for almost 4 years with almost 100 cartoons published) to help *start* those conversations. Like the analogy or not, well, it is here to stay and I will continue to use it so that we can all have tough conversations — thus improving things for all of us!
July 23rd, 2010 at 1:01 am
[...] Der referenzierte Klassiker dazu findet sich auf Implementing Scrum: [...]
August 9th, 2010 at 3:44 pm
Twitter Comment
Are you a “pig” or a “chicken”? [link to post] (thanks @marissasays for your Scrum talk today).
– Posted using Chat Catcher
August 23rd, 2010 at 8:33 pm
Twitter Comment
The Classic Story of the Pig and Chicken. [link to post] #scrum #agile
– Posted using Chat Catcher
September 11th, 2010 at 3:55 pm
[...] Scrum nie narzuca technik kodowania, ale znacznie dokładniej precyzuje aspekty związane z planowaniem, takie jak miejsce i czas trwania spotkań, czy grupy osób, które mogą zabierać głos (warto zapoznać się z oficjalnie przyjętym podziałem na „Kurczaki” i „Świnie” ). [...]
September 19th, 2010 at 10:27 am
Twitter Comment
Currently reading [link to post] by @mvizdos.
– Posted using Chat Catcher
September 26th, 2010 at 9:34 pm
[...] Uma série de papéis são definidos no Scrum. Todas as funções se dividem em dois grupos distintos, porcos e galinhas, com base na natureza do seu envolvimento no processo de desenvolvimento. Estes grupos receberam seus nomes de uma piada, sobre um porco e uma galinha, que pensam em abrir um restaurante, confira aqui. [...]
October 8th, 2010 at 4:15 pm
[...] http://www.implementingscrum.com/2006/09/11/the-classic-story-of-the-pig-and-chicken/ [...]
October 16th, 2010 at 10:10 pm
[...] http://www.implementingscrum.com/2006/09/11/the-classic-story-of-the-pig-and-chicken/ [...]
November 5th, 2010 at 2:14 pm
[...] http://www.implementingscrum.com/2006/09/11/the-classic-story-of-the-pig-and-chicken/ [...]
November 14th, 2010 at 5:42 am
[...] heard the Pigs and Chickens story retold over a WebEx with a LiveOps' twist and that was [...]
March 16th, 2011 at 9:33 am
[...] wrap up with the concept of Working With not Working For, and the old agile Chicken and Pig joke. It all comes back around when something goes wrong and the blame starts to [...]
March 30th, 2011 at 12:23 pm
[...] do I use a Piggy, you ask? Because tomatoes give me gas and Chickens would just be [...]
April 2nd, 2011 at 2:48 pm
Blogs and Web sites…
Agile Advice…
April 8th, 2011 at 1:31 pm
Cartoons…
Cartoon that illustrates the Pig Vs. Chicken distinction in Agile circles. !PigsandChicken.jpg border=1! Taken from:…
April 10th, 2011 at 11:01 am
[...] See “Implementing Scrum”, The Classic Story of the Pig and Chicken [...]
May 25th, 2011 at 11:53 pm
Which companies or organizations are interested in hiring women who are skilled in technology?…
Great question. I’d suggest the ones that are keenly interested in hiring women who are skilled technologists are the ones that have women (plural – more than one) in a variety of senior roles that are beyond the typical admin stereotype (HR, Corp Com…
July 6th, 2011 at 7:03 am
[...] All others are parties are called chickens, referring to the fact that they are involved, but not committed. For those of you not familiar with the joke, click here to see the original pig and chicken cartoon. [...]
July 7th, 2011 at 9:23 pm
[...] All others are parties are called chickens, referring to the fact that they are involved, but not committed. For those of you not familiar with the joke, click here to see the original pig and chicken cartoon. [...]
July 20th, 2011 at 6:54 am
[...] The people, who do the work usually know best, how much effort it requires. However, the same people usually calculate a buffer, sometimes even without knowing it. So, estimates need to be challenged. This should be done by asking for a team estimate, e.g. in a Product Backlog Grooming Meeting or in a Sprint Planning Meeting. In Scrum, the estimate is done by Pigs, not by Chickens. [...]
August 11th, 2011 at 11:14 am
[...] worked with Agile teams starting back in 2002, my personal experience is that, the mindset of the pigs on the team is a key differentiation between the success or failure of the [...]
August 26th, 2011 at 8:36 am
[...] uma tirinha criada pelo site implementingscrum.com (e traduzida pelo Leonardo Dantas) que explica a origem dos [...]
September 5th, 2011 at 3:01 am
[...] Meer gedetailleerde uitleg over de veranderingen Artikel ‘The New New Product Development Game’ Stripverhaal over ‘Chicken and Pig’ WikiPedia over ‘Chicken and Pig’ Voel je vrij om commentaar te leveren op de nieuwe nieuwe [...]
September 29th, 2011 at 9:29 am
[...] den Punkt: Sind Sie committed oder nur beteiligt? Der referenzierte Klassiker dazu findet sich auf Implementing Scrum: Als Projektgeschichte verpackt findet man die Story übrigens sehr schön im [...]
October 11th, 2011 at 8:10 am
[...] nueva versión es 100% SCRUMABLE. A Ken Schwaber se le ocurrió sacar la historia de Chickens and Pigs en la última revisión y metió un par de cambios que no comparto, pero la filosofía bajo SCRUM [...]
October 30th, 2011 at 5:42 am
[...] Photo credit from ImplementingScrum.com [...]
December 5th, 2011 at 1:26 pm
Agile Cartoons…
Cartoon that illustrates the Pig Vs. Chicken distinction in Agile circles. !PigsandChicken.jpg border=1! Taken from:…
December 21st, 2011 at 10:23 am
[...] ProductOwner-Time. Vamos deixar claro que o ProductOwner é parte do projeto, é "porco" e não "galinha". Por isso ele deve também ser treinado e estimulado a participar ativamente. Se o [...]
December 23rd, 2011 at 10:34 am
[...] The Classic Story of the Pig and Chicken [...]
December 23rd, 2011 at 5:42 pm
[...] Scrum Master on scrum.org. Follow @kschwaber (Ken Schwaber on twitter) Related links, The Classic Story of the Pig and Chicken Microsoft’s Process Templates and Tools Do you use printed ‘SSW Story Cards’ [...]
December 27th, 2011 at 3:44 pm
[...] funktionieren und nicht nur auf dem Papier gut aussehen: Dieser absolute Klassiker aus dem Blog Implementing Scrum zeigt aus meiner Sicht eines der Erfolgskriterien für Vermittlungstätigkeiten, die einen Wert [...]
March 26th, 2012 at 4:00 am
[...] soyez agiles, et soyez aussi impliqués que les PIGs ! Engagez-vous dans la gestion de votre dette, et ne vous laissez pas déborder [...]
March 29th, 2012 at 9:07 am
[...] parler de l’histoire de la poule et du cochon, que je n’expliquerai pas içi (voir la poule et le cochon). L’histoire exprime la différence entre “engagement” et [...]
April 11th, 2012 at 9:38 am
[...] – The Silver Bullet [NOT] « « Previous Post | Tell a Friend! | Share on Twitter | Next Post » [...]
April 11th, 2012 at 9:53 am
[...] comes the story of the Pig and Chicken. For a refresher read here. Go read it and come back. I promise I will not go anywhere… just come back real fast. I am [...]
April 11th, 2012 at 10:39 am
[...] we introduce the role of Product Owner. Not necessarily a Pig, and not quite a Chicken. And, as we have covered in the past, definitely not a [...]
April 11th, 2012 at 10:47 am
[...] Senior Chicken meets someone on a plane or hears about it at a [...]
April 11th, 2012 at 10:55 am
[...] How artfully agile. I can see this term starting to get abused (as our intrepid Chicken above has shown!), just like the attempted “branding” of the word Agile, Agile 2.0, Web [...]
April 11th, 2012 at 11:06 am
[...] using Agile. That is, having to commit to something. Ouch. This is hard, especially if some Chicken in the past has held their cajones over the fire about past dates being [...]