Scrum: The Silver Bullet

Myth: Scrum will solve your problems.

Variations:

• If Scrum doesn't work, you're doing it wrong.
• Scrum makes successful.

Follow-up myths:

• You just need to get better at doing Scrum.
• When you do Scrum right, you won't have problems.
• When you have problems, it's because you do Scrum wrong.

Category: General Scrum myths
Danger: High

The basis of the myth

The Scrum guide states:

Scrum(n): A framework within which people can address complex adaptive problems, while productively and creatively delivering products of the highest possible value.

This is then misconstrued as: "Scrum solves your problems. Your developers will be highly productive and your business profitable.", then stretched even further out of proportion: "When you apply Scrum as described in the guide, you will not have any problems."

Why is it a myth?

This myth is based on misinterpretation and fallacious reasoning.

The Scrum guide's only has three statements about problems:

• [Scrum is] A framework within which people can address complex adaptive problems 
• The Scrum Team members have courage to do the right thing and work on tough problems. 
• In Review: The Development Team discusses what went well during the Sprint, what problems it ran into, and how those problems were solved;

Scrum is quite clear that solving the problems is not an intrinsic benefit of Scrum: The work of problem-solving still needs to be done!
In fact, Scrum practitioners frequently state, "Scrum does not solve your problems. It just makes them transparent. You still have to solve them." - which is much closer to the truth.

Misinterpretation #1: Scrum solves your problem

Scrum does not claim to solve problems. The claim is merely to enable people to address them.
Working out a solution still needs to be done, and that's actually the tricky part.
This misinterpretation results not only in overinflated expectations, but also in poor implementations: Rather than going about solving existing organizational issues, people "try hard" to "do better Scrum" in the vain hope that the problem will magically disappear: A typical case of cargo cult adoption.

Misinterpretation #2: Simple solution

"Silver bullet" thinking assumes that within a complex system, there are simple solutions for complex problems. However, the very premise of agility is that solutions need to be approximated because they are not known. Using a framework for adaptive learning is wasteful where simple solutions work. Scrum is not a simple solution, although it is an incredibly simple framework for approximating a solution.

Misinterpretation #3: Scrum makes people more productive

It can be that productivity is your problem, but as we already stated, that problem is not magically solved.
Agility doesn't even care about individual productivity, and neither does Scrum. Note that "productively delivering products" is not that same as "individuals being productive". Keep in mind the 10th agile principle, maximizing the amount of work not done. Productivity means maximizing the amount of work done, the complete opposite: Scrum never claims to do that. As noted in the Theory of Constraints, you may actually reduce your productivity and still increase output.
As paradoxical as it sounds, Scrum might cause people to less productive, but providing more value.
Scrum would expose the hidden waste of overproduction, but it will not resolve the issue.
The first step in resolution will usually be a purposeful reduction in productivity!

Misinterpretation #4: Scrum = profit

Scrum does not claim to make your business profitable. What Scrum does: Provide a framework which enables developers to deliver the highest value first and effectively. There is no guarantee that your product is profitable. However, by delivering top value at any given point in time, Scrum enables you to quickly see whether you can be profitable: If the maximum value is not enough, then there is absolutely nothing else you could do to be profitable.
In that case, Scrum will expose a failing business idea quickly and save you from sinking a lot of money into a doomed product.

Consequences

Cargo Cult
The "Silver Bullet" results in continouously looking for "better ways to do Scrum" instead of looking for "better ways to build products". Failures are considered as flaws in the Scrum implementation, rather than learning opportunities. Retrospectives focus on the question: "How can we do better Scrum", rather than "how can we get better?"
People will soon discover that no matter how hard they try, the intended benefits, such as working more smoothly, delivering value faster or satisfying customers, stay out of reach. Until the disillusionment occurs, people always will "work harder" on their Scrum practice. When disillusionment sets in, it is blamed entirely on Scrum.


Blame, shame and guilt
Scrum is intended for free people's minds and create a learning culture, However, the very sentence that "Scrum solves your problems" becomes a trap. I worked with a team where the Scrum Master was continuously emphasizing that if people were just adhering to Scrum better, they would have fewer problems. While developers tried really hard to "do good Scrum", nothing really changed in the way they worked. The shaming addition of "It would work if you do it right" projects blame onto those who already try their best. Once this starts to sink in, developers start to feel guilty for not being able to do what everyone else seems to be able to do. This creates a self-destructive, rather than a constructive, growth-oriented mindset.


Deceptive culture
The assumption that "better Scrum solves the problem" assumes that unsolved problems are caused by unqualified teams. This encourages teams might feel motivated to communicate successes an progress rather than impediments. Scrum is being communicated as a panacea while impediments are simply being shoved under the rug. Continuous improvement and learning from failure are impossible. Scrum will become a way of continuing the same things as before, rather than being an engine propelling innovation and transformation.

Remedies

Silver Bullet thinking is deadly. Neither a trainer, coach nor anyone in the organization should even remotely promote the idea that "Scrum solves problems". The deeper this kind of wishful thinking is ingrained, the less likely teams can be successful.

The best remedy is taking a clear stand that "Scrum does not solve problems, it highlights them and forces you to solve them."

Actively encourage highlighting organizational impediments. Educate people that adaptive learning requires leeway for failure. Create a culture where people are not being blamed for things that don't work.

Educate that organizations are complex systems and failure may be beyond team control. No framework, process or methodology within the team's sphere of control can change that. Provide leeway for experimenting.

Be willing to admit that Scrum may not work, not because of the people, but because the environment of the team is simply unsuitable for Scrum.
Admit that Scrum does not work under certain circumstances, then work on these circumstances before pointing to the Scrum teams. Be ready to accept that there are cases where it's simply undesirable to use Scrum.