Scrum Beyond

Context

"We have come to value...individuals and interactions over processes and tools"
— agilemanifesto.org

We are in a historical period of disruption and crisis on many fronts. Events of the past four years have led us to become withdrawn, socially disengaged, even suspicious of one another. The rise of populism, identity politics, cancel culture, and a pouring out of fake news and conspiracy theory has created rifts in community, mistrust and suspicion of our neighbours, and fear of "the other", fuelled by social media platforms and mainstream press alike. Overwhelmed by anger and even hatred we retreat into self, with the resulting isolation causing a major crisis of mental illness.

The emergency measures of 2020-22 resulted in the closing down of many social spaces, including offices and other places of work, driving vast numbers of people onto their computers as their only form of interaction. Two years on we are emerging from this social desert, but it is not enough to just assume "business as usual". Something much more is needed. This is the time to explore new possibilities in how we interact. It is time to reinvent our social and professional lives, to rethink what it means to be in community, and to turn our attention more passionately to the systems that caused the breakdown in the first place—our self-crafted culture of short-term profiteering at the expense of personal, community and global health, welfare and survival; our self-centered decisions have led to world hunger, continuous war, disease, and the present climate crisis. Something must change, and that something is probably everything.

Creative Making

"Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done."
— Principles behind the Agile Manifesto #5

What has Scrum got to do with all this? Absolutely nothing, if we use Scrum as a way to coerce and micromanage a workforce (sadly, how many use it) but almost everything if we embrace Scrum for what it truly is: a team-centric, relationship-oriented, other-focussed, uplifting, autonomous and reflective way to show up for work and in life. Scrum is a simple framework for solving complex problems—and we have so many of those today! Rooted firmly in the scientific method of discovery, and drawing on sixty-thousand-year-old practices of creative making, Scrum has the potential to reform and recreate the world of work. And that is what this event is all about. Please join us. Be the change.

Intent

"Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage."
— Principles behind the Agile Manifesto #2

It has long been recognised that an Agile approach to any creative work, sharpens an organisation's competitive edge. Scrum in particular has been successfully applied in the areas of law, curriculum design, education (primary, secondary and tertiary), scientific research, church, event organisation and workplace transformation, to name just a few. The intent of Scrum Beyond is both to share experiences and to explore new avenues.

Implementation

"The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams."
— Principles behind the Agile Manifesto #11

This event is conducted using Open Space Technology—the cutting-edge of self-organisation. There is no prescribed agenda; the schedule is created on the day of the event, on the fly, and continuously updated. As ideas come to participants they schedule sessions to explore. If at least one other person is interested we have a new session. The online space we are using, with its infinite breakout rooms, allows for as many new sessions as we need.

It is also important to consolidate learnings with the whole group, so periods of reflection will occur throughout the day to share learnings, adjust the agenda, raise (and resolve) concerns, assess value and find ways to improve on the fly.

There are no invited speakers, no keynotes, and no superstars. Everyone present is an equal participant and can choose to do as much or as little as they like.

Participants take responsibility to meet their own needs and to serve the group as a whole.

Logistics

"At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly."
— Principles behind the Agile Manifesto #12

The event takes place on Saturday 21st September 2024. It runs for a full eight hours with a one-hour break in the middle of the day.

There will be whole group alignments at the start of the event and on return from lunch, with spontaneous alignments throughout the day, as the need arises. At these moments the agenda will be inspected and adjusted as appropriate. There will be a formal closure at the end of the day.

Facilitation

"Simplicity—the art of maximizing the amount of work not done—is essential."
— Principles behind the Agile Manifesto #10

Open Space facilitation is gentle, light-touch, and releasing. Facilitator Charles-Louis de Maere will act as listener, guide and space-holder for the experience, maximizing the amount of work not done, while still creating a meaningful environment for growth and change.

If Scrum Beyond is a garden, we the participants are its fruits and flowers, Charles-Louis the tender-hearted, organically-oriented gardener, creating an environment where all may flourish.