How Scrum and Simple Rules Help to Manage Entire Companies

# Summary

The text discusses how the principles of Scrum and the concept of simple rules can be applied to manage entire companies, advocating for scaled Scrum teams with self-organization and increased agility.

# Abstract

The article "How Scrum and Simple Rules Help to Manage Entire Companies" delves into the application of Scrum and simple rules to scale up management practices across whole organizations. It outlines Scrum as a popular agile method in software development, emphasizing its key elements such as sprints for rapid development cycles and continuous improvement through iterations. The article argues that by scaling up Scrum teams while maintaining the principles of responsibility and self-organization, companies can enhance their overall agility. It cautions, however, that scaling should not lead to an abundance of rules which could stifle the organization. Instead, the article suggests that larger teams should be formed, embodying the Scrum values to improve responsiveness throughout the company. The text concludes by reaffirming the possibility of managing entire companies using Scrum and simple rules, as long as the scaling process does not result in excessive rule-making.

# Opinions

- The author believes that all agile methods, including Scrum, are founded on the principle of simple rules: as few rules as necessary to allow for flexibility and adaptability.
- It is suggested that to manage a company using Scrum principles, teams need to be scaled in a way that preserves the core values of responsibility and self-organization.
- The author emphasizes that the key to successful Scrum scaling is to increase agility without overburdening the organization with additional rules as it grows in size.
- There is an acknowledgment that scaling Scrum involves the risk of reintroducing traditional management practices that could undermine the benefits of agility.
- The text implies that the Product Owner and Scrum Master roles remain crucial even in scaled Scrum environments.

Simple rules as the foundation for agile models

As I wrote in my article “Do You Know the 4 Values of the Agile Manifesto?”, all agile methods use the basic principle of simple rules.

The Scrum model is one of the most popular agile concepts in software development. In the 1990s, innovation cycles for new software became faster and faster. That is why Scrum was developed.

A key element of the agile model is the sprint. It is the basis for fast development cycles, which ideally make it possible to create a prototype within four weeks. Due to their speed, sprints offer a lot of potential for continuous improvements. These take place in various iterations.

All agile methods use the basic principle of simple rules: as many rules as necessary, but as few as possible.

💡 For many managers, the following question now arises. 💡

Can Entire Companies Be Managed on the Basis of Scrum and Simple Rules?

What would be necessary for this? One would have to scale the teams in the sense of enlarging them. In the process, the responsibility and self-organization from Scrum must be transported to the larger group.

It is not managers who distribute tasks, but the scaled Scrum teams themselves. Scrum scaling is about increasing agility. It’s about making the entire organization responsive. This is achieved through Simple Rules.

You don’t know what simple rules are? Then please start here.

Just like small Scrum teams, the scaled team has a Product Owner [1]. He has the responsibility for the product. There is also a Scrum Master. He controls the agile process.

The next higher scaling level is the so-called Agile Release Train. This is a team of teams. Usually 5 to 12 teams. This is then the program level.

However, companies that scale Scrum need to be aware of a danger. They must not start to overload the organization with rules as the number of people grows. ❗

Summary

So, can scrum and simple rules help to manage entire companies?

The answer is YES, but don’t extend the rules too much when scaling. Instead, make bigger teams. Transport the responsibility and self-organization from Scrum to those teams. Increase the agility!

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How Scrum and Simple Rules Help to Manage Entire Companies

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Simple rules as the foundation for agile models

Can Entire Companies Be Managed on the Basis of Scrum and Simple Rules?

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