I have officially jumped aboard the band wagon. After completing two days of training, Ken Schwaber declared a diverse group of people as “certifiable”, and bestowed upon us the title of Certified Scrum Master.

Having read a TON of material on Agile software projects, the class rehashed a lot of material that is readily available elsewhere (e.g. Ken’s book). However, there were some exceptionally sound insights I didn’t see coming.

• First, Ken charactarized Scrum as “an implementation of Lean Thinking”. It seeks to minimize the waste involved in producing software.
• Although classified as a methodology, it is not a prescriptive to-do list. It’s a collection of proven management techniques, which can each be tailored to meet the specific context of a given organization and project. These techniques include Time-boxing phases of a given project, utilizing cross-functional teams, and theory-Y approach to management.
• The key problem in software projects is not process or technology. It’s dysfunctional interactions among stakeholders. Rather than solving communication / interaction problems, a good methodology will simply highlight them. Solving those problems is almost always independent of the process that found them.

I’ve seen some of these points made in different forms, but hearing them articulated this way definitely sheds light. It also confirmed for me the hunch that Agile processes are supposed to be tailored. One size does NOT fit all, and Agile evangelists that try to make it that way miss the point entirely. On the flip side, those that dismiss Agile methods as being undisciplined, haven’t done their homework. The whole point of Scrum is to be ruthless in maximing the collective focus of the project sponsor and project team onto the work products that actually generate value.

Given the workshop approach of the class, the people you interact with, and the first-hand insights gained, I’d say the shin-dig was worth the while.