How to be a Scrumian

 

Earlier this month, I coined the term "Scrumian" to mean any advocate of Scrum. However, I never really thought about what it means or what it could mean. I have been giving it some thought over the past few weeks and came up with a very basic framework to define what a Scrumian is or should be, and I certainly welcome any suggestions for additions or improvement. After all, what kind of Scrumian would I be if I didn't entertain the idea of continuous improvement, iterative feedback, and maximizing value.

Most people enter the world of Scrum through their employment, or through the need to gain qualifications in the hope they will add some value to their job or future employment engagement. They sign up for a course, take it in-class or online, and then study toward any number of certifications such as the PSM, CSM or SMC. One thing binds them all; they adhere to the values and principles of Scrum. They also acknowledge and respect the rules, roles, events and artifacts of Scrum.

By doing this, they can become valuable assets to their employer or client and look with pride upon that shiny certificate hanging on the wall. In most cases, this would seem to be a complete success story; one that has come full circle. But is it a success? To the Scrumian, it is only half the (user) story.

The Scrumian Philosophy (Draft Zero)

A Scrumian not only adheres to the principles of Scrum in the work environment, but does everything they can to promote and "radiate" Scrum throughout the world. That means we extend our knowledge and skills into society in general, through our hobbies, our volunteer work, our children's education, our pet projects, heck even our personal lives if it adds value.

We promote Scrum through the technology and communication mediums we have at our disposal. Blogs, articles, books, podcasts, social media pages, chat forums, study groups, tweets, best practice centers, focus groups, and the list goes on.

For all the reasons we became advocates of Scrum in the workplace, is the same reason we believe Scrum can alter society and our personal lives for the better. From a simple Daily Scrum at home to see what the family did today and will do tomorrow, through to promoting information radiators and estimating with story points at the local YMCA.

I call on all Scrum advocates to go beyond their certifications, beyond the clock-on and clock-off usage of Scrum at work, to embrace all the richness that Scrum has to offer, and radiate it throughout the world.

We are Scrumians!
 

Thank you for your interest in the Scrumptious blog. If you have any ideas for Scrum topics, please message me here. Until next time, remember, projects can be Scrumptious!