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Hi all,
Hope this is helpful for those who both attended and are reading this from afar // after…
I sat in on a discussion between Alistair Cockburn and Ken Schwaber at the Scrum Gathering in Orlando today (March 16, 2009).
It was basically a summary of what Alistair learned while co-teaching a CSM course with Ken Schwaber as he became one of “us” (a Certified Scrum Trainer, which I am one of LOL).
The list went something like this…
“You Thought You Knew Scrum?”
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1. Treat people as adults.
2. Teach “Ask the Team” by actually asking the team during class.
3. 3 Bells. Deliver. Ask the Team. Inspect and Adapt.
4. Scrum is a mirror.
5. Scrum with beginners produces crap.
6. Scrum is a genetic algorithm.
[oops... running out of time soon... darn time boxing]
…. and Alistair had an “aha” moment… “Continuous “us” improvement”…
7. The team does not fail a Sprint — Inspect and Adapt.
8. Don’t shun the Project Managers – turn them into Servant Leaders and Impediment Removers.
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The bantering between Ken and Alistair was fun to watch, and as a trainer I learned some new things. There were a lot of discussions of the “list” of eight things.
This list was typed out in front of the audience as we went along through the session.
My thoughts… (an “a ha” moment in Alistair speak)…
One of the things I have been reminded of is that we all teach the Certified ScrumMaster class a little differently.
Which is a good thing. As the market continues to get flooded by new Certified Scrum Trainers, it will be up to the consumer to decide which stay and which go… and this will happen over time. There are a lot of Scrum training courses around the world… PLEASE do your due diligence before stepping into one!
And.
I think I need to create a cartoon character for Alistair (smile).
7 Comments! to “Alistair Cockburn and Ken Schwaber: Scrum Gathering Monday Afternoon”
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March 16th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
What is allistair like in person? his book is magnificently written and imagine he’s very much an interpersonal/collaborative fellow.
March 16th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
and… what do you mean by 5. can you elaborate?!?
March 16th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
because when i hear ‘team produces crap’ i take that in two ways…
they produce nothing
they produce janky software
March 17th, 2009 at 7:24 am
Can you explain #5 in more detail please?
March 20th, 2009 at 3:38 am
Me too interested in point 5.
does it mean “beginners can not use scrum, because they will produce crap”?
March 23rd, 2009 at 12:01 pm
The fact that “Treat people as adults” is the first in this list is profoundly disturbing. How else do the presenters assume we treat people?
The very act of standing on a stage and telling an audience to treat people as adults is patronizing and presumptuous. It fosters a paternalistic leadership style, and (oh irony!) does the exact opposite of what it preaches.
I came in late for this session and then left after about 20 minutes exactly because I felt patronized. There are better ways to engage than this, and I went off seeking those instead.
April 15th, 2009 at 7:30 pm
No, as with any methodology or framework… if you do not know what you are doing, this will not improve it. Does that make sense?