Shu-ha-ri Model of Skill Mastery

Shu - Follow the rules, obeying the rules to keep or maintain.

Ha - Move away from the rules, to detach or break free.

Ri - Unconsciously finding an individual path, means to go beyond or transcend.

Shu ha ri is roughly translated to “first learn, then detach, and finally, transcend.” ___________________________________________________________________________

Well, this concept is applied to agile teams and is used as a tool to aid agile coaches in identifying in which stage their teams are.

If people in a team are in the “Shu” phase they are quite immature in agile, and they just follow the rules.

If they are more mature, they will be in the “Ha”, where they can break the rules safely.

The last stage is the “Ri” phase where people are so mature that they can create their rules.