Scrum anti-patterns describe any attractive, easy-to-implement solution that ultimately makes a problem worse. Therefore, these are the practice not to follow to prevent issues from emerging. Some classic examples of scrum anti-patterns comprise absent product owners, pre-assigned tickets (making individuals work in isolation), and discounting retrospectives (where review meetings are not useful to really make improvements).
Scrum Anti-Pattern
Description
Implications
Examples
Addressing Strategies
Zombie Scrum
Teams go through Scrum motions without real agility, enthusiasm, or focus on delivering value.
Lack of innovation, low morale, and stagnant progress.
Teams having daily stand-ups and sprint planning but failing to deliver incrementally.
Reconnect teams with the purpose, emphasize outcomes, and promote continuous improvement.
Mini-Waterfall
Sprint cycles resemble traditional waterfall phases, with minimal collaboration and late integration.
Delays in delivering value, increased risks, and inflexible project execution.
Teams following sequential phases of analysis, design, development, and testing within a sprint.
Encourage cross-functional collaboration, break work into smaller increments, and promote a culture of adaptability.
ScrumBut
Teams practice Scrum but with exceptions and shortcuts, compromising the framework’s effectiveness.
Diminished benefits of Scrum, inconsistency, and suboptimal results.
Teams conducting daily stand-ups but omitting sprint reviews or retrospectives.
Identify and eliminate deviations, align with Scrum principles, and continuously improve.
Scrummerfall
Combining Scrum practices with traditional project management approaches, resulting in conflict.
Confusion, inefficiency, and lack of agility.
A team uses Scrum for development but adheres to a traditional project plan for the overall project.
Educate teams on Scrum principles, promote transparency, and ensure alignment between frameworks.
Velocity Obsession
Teams focus excessively on increasing velocity as a primary measure of success, ignoring other factors.
Burnout, lower quality, and neglect of valuable work that doesn’t boost velocity.
Teams consistently overloading sprints to maximize velocity.
Shift the focus to delivering value, quality, and sustainable pace instead of chasing velocity.
Feature Factory
Prioritizing output over outcomes, resulting in a rush to deliver features without considering value.
Accumulation of technical debt, lower customer satisfaction, and feature bloat.
Teams rapidly develop features without validating their impact on users.
Emphasize delivering value, validate assumptions, and prioritize work based on customer feedback.
Hero Culture
Relying on a few exceptional individuals to solve all problems, rather than team collaboration.
Overburdened heroes, lack of shared responsibility, and knowledge silos.
A team consistently deferring to a single team member to address complex issues.
Promote collective ownership, mentorship, and knowledge sharing within the team.
Scrum concepts are relatively easy to understand, but their successful execution is contingent upon overcoming ingrained habits. As successful as agile methodologies have been, they are not a panacea for inefficient or outdated practices.
Indeed, certain behaviors or ways of operating are going to be detrimental to agile principles and processes. These frequently exhibited behaviors – which can masquerade as solutions – are known as scrum anti-patterns.
No one in an agile team is immune from scrum anti-patterns. This includes the Scrum Master and Product Owner.
In the next section, let’s take a look at some of the more common patterns and how to solve them.
Three common scrum anti-patterns
Absent Product Owners
Product Owners are responsible for creating product value for the customer via the development team.
They must be present throughout the sprint to give impetus to decision-making and clarify queries.
Absent Product Owners inhibit the collective personal development of the team and cause product reworks because of misunderstandings.
Absences are sometimes exacerbated by a Product Owner having to manage multiple Scrum teams. Active engagement between the PO and the team they are leading is vital.
Pre-assigning tickets
The assigning of tickets by the Product Owner or Scrum Muster to competent individuals is crucial.
However, this compartmentalized means of assigning duties causes individuals to work in isolation and not as part of a team. Worse still, it hinders personal and professional growth.
Team members should be given the freedom to add tasks to their in-progress work. Ideally, less experienced individuals in a given task should partner with those who are more experienced.
Discounting retrospectives
Scrum teams must review every sprint at its conclusion. These review sessions are used to discuss what went well and also identify areas for improvement.
Many teams become bored of repetitive retrospectives, causing them to drop these important meetings from their scheduling altogether.
Many other teams will hold the meetings but make no effort to actively plan to improve.
To facilitate buy-in for these important meetings, mediators should discard the standardized talking points around strengths and weaknesses.
The 4 Ls Approach
A fresher approach involves something called the 4 Ls:
Liked – what did individuals like?
Learned – what did they learn?
Lacked – are there actions the team is performed that could be improved on?
Longed for – what does the team desire or wish to have?
Examples and Case Studies
Absent Product Owners: Product Owners who are not actively engaged with the development team throughout the sprint. This leads to misunderstandings, delays in decision-making, and product reworks.
Pre-assigning Tickets: When tickets or tasks are assigned by the Product Owner or Scrum Master to specific individuals, it discourages collaboration within the team and hinders personal and professional growth.
Discounting Retrospectives: Some teams become bored or disinterested in retrospectives, leading them to either skip these review meetings altogether or attend without actively planning for improvement.
Lack of Active Engagement: Team members not actively participating in discussions and decision-making during the sprint, leading to missed opportunities for collaboration and creativity.
Ineffective Retrospective Meetings: Retrospective meetings that follow a standardized format and lack meaningful discussions about what the team liked, learned, lacked, and longed for in the sprint.
Ignoring Continuous Improvement: Failing to prioritize and implement improvements based on the feedback and insights gained from retrospectives and feedback loops.
Overloading Sprints: Trying to fit too many tasks into a sprint, leading to decreased quality of work and increased stress for the team.
Lack of Empowerment: Not empowering team members to make decisions and take ownership of their work, leading to reduced motivation and accountability.
Micromanagement: Scrum Masters or Product Owners micromanaging team members’ tasks, stifling creativity and autonomy.
Ignoring Agile Principles: Failing to adhere to agile principles and methodologies, such as self-organization, continuous delivery, and customer collaboration, which can hinder the effectiveness of the agile process.
Key takeaways:
Scrum anti-patterns describe actions that follow the path of least resistance. Although they initially seem attractive, these actions are detrimental to agile principles and company growth.
No member of an agile team is immune from exhibiting scrum anti-pattern behavior. As leaders setting an example, positions such as Product Owner and Scrum Master have a particular responsibility to set high standards.
Some common anti-scrum patterns include Product Owners who fail to lead their teams during product development. Pre-assigning tickets to the most qualified personnel and the avoidance of retrospectives are also detrimental to a business.
Key Highlights
Definition: Scrum anti-patterns refer to behaviors or practices that seem like solutions but ultimately hinder agile principles and processes, making problems worse.
Application: These anti-patterns can affect any member of an agile team, including Scrum Masters and Product Owners. Recognizing and addressing them is essential for maintaining agile effectiveness.
Common Scrum Anti-Patterns:
Absent Product Owners: Product Owners not actively engaged throughout the sprint, causing misunderstandings and delays in decision-making.
Pre-assigning Tickets: Assigning tasks individually hampers collaboration and growth; tasks should be collaboratively determined.
Discounting Retrospectives: Ignoring or undermining retrospective meetings leads to missed improvement opportunities.
Lack of Active Engagement: Team members not participating actively in discussions and decision-making, limiting collaboration.
Ineffective Retrospective Meetings: Following a standardized format in retrospectives without meaningful discussions.
Ignoring Continuous Improvement: Not implementing improvements based on feedback and insights from retrospectives.
Overloading Sprints: Trying to fit too much work into a sprint, compromising quality and stressing the team.
Lack of Empowerment: Not allowing team members to make decisions and take ownership, reducing motivation.
Ignoring Agile Principles: Failing to adhere to agile values like self-organization and customer collaboration diminishes effectiveness.
Key Takeaways:
Scrum anti-patterns appear as easy solutions but harm agile principles and company growth.
All team members, including Product Owners and Scrum Masters, can exhibit anti-pattern behavior.
Examples of anti-patterns include absent Product Owners, pre-assigned tickets, and neglecting retrospectives.
Related Frameworks
Description
When to Apply
Waterfall Model
– The Waterfall Model is a traditional software development methodology where progress flows steadily downwards through phases such as requirements, design, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance. In contrast to Agile approaches like Scrum, the Waterfall Model follows a linear and sequential process, with each phase dependent on the completion of the previous one.
– When working on projects with well-defined requirements, stable technologies, and minimal changes expected during development, the Waterfall Model can provide a structured approach for planning and executing tasks in a sequential manner.
Feature Creep
– Feature Creep, also known as scope creep, refers to the gradual expansion of a project’s scope beyond its original boundaries. This can occur due to continuous addition of new features, requirements changes, or stakeholder demands, leading to project delays, budget overruns, and decreased team morale. In Agile environments like Scrum, feature creep can undermine the iterative and incremental nature of development, making it challenging to deliver value within defined timeframes.
– When managing project scope and requirements, it’s essential to actively monitor and control changes to prevent feature creep. Implementing clear scope management processes, conducting regular prioritization sessions, and involving stakeholders in decision-making can help mitigate the risks associated with feature creep and ensure that project goals are achieved effectively.
Micromanagement
– Micromanagement occurs when managers excessively control and monitor the work of their team members, often leading to decreased autonomy, creativity, and morale. In Scrum, micromanagement can hinder self-organization and collaboration within the Development Team, eroding trust and impeding the ability to deliver value iteratively. Effective Scrum Masters and Product Owners empower teams to make decisions, solve problems, and continuously improve their processes.
– When leading teams in Agile environments, it’s crucial to adopt a coaching and facilitative approach rather than micromanaging team members. Providing guidance, support, and resources while allowing autonomy and accountability fosters a culture of trust, ownership, and collaboration, enabling teams to deliver high-quality products and solutions effectively.
Lack of Cross-Functional Teams
– Cross-functional teams consist of individuals with diverse skills, expertise, and perspectives necessary to deliver end-to-end solutions independently. In Scrum, cross-functional teams are essential for maximizing flexibility, responsiveness, and value delivery. A lack of cross-functional teams can result in dependencies, bottlenecks, and delays, as tasks require handoffs between specialized roles or external dependencies for completion.
– When organizing teams for Agile projects, prioritize forming cross-functional teams with the necessary skills and capabilities to deliver value independently. Encourage collaboration, knowledge sharing, and skill development within teams to enhance adaptability, resilience, and innovation, enabling faster and more efficient delivery of high-quality products and services.
Over-Reliance on Agile Ceremonies
– Agile ceremonies, such as Sprint Planning, Daily Standups, Sprint Reviews, and Retrospectives, are essential for facilitating communication, coordination, and alignment within Scrum teams. However, over-reliance on these ceremonies without focusing on their purpose and outcomes can lead to inefficiencies, disengagement, and wasted time. Teams may spend excessive time in meetings without achieving meaningful results or addressing underlying issues.
– When conducting Agile ceremonies, focus on their purpose and desired outcomes to ensure that they contribute to value delivery and continuous improvement. Prioritize effective communication, collaboration, and action-oriented discussions during ceremonies, avoiding unnecessary meetings or activities that do not add value to the team’s goals.
Technical Debt Accumulation
– Technical debt refers to the accumulation of suboptimal or incomplete code, design, or architecture decisions made during software development. While it may provide short-term benefits such as faster delivery or reduced costs, technical debt can impede long-term productivity, quality, and maintainability of the product. In Scrum, failing to address technical debt regularly can lead to increased complexity, defects, and impediments, hindering the team’s ability to deliver value effectively.
– When managing software development projects, prioritize addressing technical debt iteratively to maintain product quality, stability, and sustainability. Allocate time for refactoring, code reviews, and technical debt backlog grooming during each Sprint to ensure that the team can balance delivering new features with maintaining a healthy codebase.
Hero Culture
– Hero culture arises when individual heroics or sacrifices are celebrated and rewarded over teamwork, collaboration, and sustainable practices. In Scrum, hero culture can manifest as individuals taking on excessive workloads, working overtime, or bypassing processes to meet deadlines or solve problems independently. While heroic efforts may address short-term challenges, they can lead to burnout, knowledge silos, and dependency on specific individuals, jeopardizing the team’s resilience and long-term success.
– When fostering a culture of collaboration and accountability within Scrum teams, discourage heroics and promote collective ownership of goals and outcomes. Emphasize the value of teamwork, transparency, and continuous improvement, recognizing and rewarding contributions that align with Agile principles and practices.
Neglecting Sprint Goals
– Sprint Goals define the overarching objective or purpose of each Sprint, guiding the team’s efforts and priorities. Neglecting Sprint Goals in favor of focusing solely on individual tasks or backlog items can result in disjointed efforts, lack of alignment, and suboptimal outcomes. In Scrum, adherence to Sprint Goals ensures that the team remains focused on delivering incremental value and achieving the desired outcomes within the Sprint timeframe.
– When planning and executing Sprints, prioritize defining clear and meaningful Sprint Goals that align with the product vision and stakeholder needs. Regularly communicate Sprint Goals to the team and stakeholders, ensuring shared understanding and commitment to achieving them. Monitor progress towards Sprint Goals throughout the Sprint, adapting plans and priorities as needed to maximize value delivery and goal attainment.
Unaddressed Impediments
– Impediments are obstacles or barriers that hinder the team’s progress and ability to deliver value effectively. Unaddressed impediments can accumulate over time, causing frustration, demotivation, and decreased productivity. In Scrum, transparency and collaboration are key to identifying and resolving impediments promptly, allowing the team to maintain momentum and focus on achieving Sprint Goals. Ignoring or minimizing impediments can lead to project delays, quality issues, and disengagement.
– When facilitating Agile ceremonies and interactions, actively encourage team members to raise and discuss impediments, blockers, or challenges they encounter. Create a safe and supportive environment where individuals feel empowered to collaborate and seek help in addressing impediments collectively. Establish processes for documenting, prioritizing, and resolving impediments promptly to minimize their impact on team performance and project outcomes.
Fragmented Product Backlog
– The Product Backlog serves as the single source of truth for all work to be done on the product, containing a prioritized list of features, enhancements, and fixes. A fragmented Product Backlog with inconsistent priorities, vague or duplicative items, or unclear acceptance criteria can lead to misunderstandings, delays, and inefficiencies in Scrum teams. Maintaining a well-groomed and cohesive Product Backlog is essential for maximizing transparency, alignment, and value delivery.
– When managing the Product Backlog, prioritize regular grooming sessions to review, refine, and prioritize backlog items collaboratively. Ensure that Product Backlog items are clear, concise, and actionable, with well-defined acceptance criteria and dependencies identified. Align backlog priorities with the product vision, stakeholder feedback, and business objectives to ensure that the team focuses on delivering the highest value items iteratively and incrementally.
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Business modelinnovation is about increasing the success of an organization with existing products and technologies by crafting a compelling value proposition able to propel a new business model to scale up customers and create a lasting competitive advantage. And it all starts by mastering the key customers.
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As pointed out by Eric Ries, a minimum viable product is that version of a new product which allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort through a cycle of build, measure, learn; that is the foundation of the lean startup methodology.
Kanban is a lean manufacturing framework first developed by Toyota in the late 1940s. The Kanban framework is a means of visualizing work as it moves through identifying potential bottlenecks. It does that through a process called just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing to optimize engineering processes, speed up manufacturing products, and improve the go-to-market strategy.
Jidoka was first used in 1896 by Sakichi Toyoda, who invented a textile loom that would stop automatically when it encountered a defective thread. Jidoka is a Japanese term used in lean manufacturing. The term describes a scenario where machines cease operating without human intervention when a problem or defect is discovered.
The PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle was first proposed by American physicist and engineer Walter A. Shewhart in the 1920s. The PDCA cycle is a continuous process and product improvement method and an essential component of the lean manufacturing philosophy.
RAD was first introduced by author and consultant James Martin in 1991. Martin recognized and then took advantage of the endless malleability of software in designing development models. Rapid Application Development (RAD) is a methodology focusing on delivering rapidly through continuous feedback and frequent iterations.
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Scrumban is a project management framework that is a hybrid of two popular agile methodologies: Scrum and Kanban. Scrumban is a popular approach to helping businesses focus on the right strategic tasks while simultaneously strengthening their processes.
Scrum anti-patterns describe any attractive, easy-to-implement solution that ultimately makes a problem worse. Therefore, these are the practice not to follow to prevent issues from emerging. Some classic examples of scrum anti-patterns comprise absent product owners, pre-assigned tickets (making individuals work in isolation), and discounting retrospectives (where review meetings are not useful to really make improvements).
Scrum at Scale (Scrum@Scale) is a framework that Scrum teams use to address complex problems and deliver high-value products. Scrum at Scale was created through a joint venture between the Scrum Alliance and Scrum Inc. The joint venture was overseen by Jeff Sutherland, a co-creator of Scrum and one of the principal authors of the Agile Manifesto.
Six Sigma is a data-driven approach and methodology for eliminating errors or defects in a product, service, or process. Six Sigma was developed by Motorola as a management approach based on quality fundamentals in the early 1980s. A decade later, it was popularized by General Electric who estimated that the methodology saved them $12 billion in the first five years of operation.
Stretch objectives describe any task an agile team plans to complete without expressly committing to do so. Teams incorporate stretch objectives during a Sprint or Program Increment (PI) as part of Scaled Agile. They are used when the agile team is unsure of its capacity to attain an objective. Therefore, stretch objectives are instead outcomes that, while extremely desirable, are not the difference between the success or failure of each sprint.
The Toyota Production System (TPS) is an early form of lean manufacturing created by auto-manufacturer Toyota. Created by the Toyota Motor Corporation in the 1940s and 50s, the Toyota Production System seeks to manufacture vehicles ordered by customers most quickly and efficiently possible.
The Total Quality Management (TQM) framework is a technique based on the premise that employees continuously work on their ability to provide value to customers. Importantly, the word “total” means that all employees are involved in the process – regardless of whether they work in development, production, or fulfillment.
The waterfall model was first described by Herbert D. Benington in 1956 during a presentation about the software used in radar imaging during the Cold War. Since there were no knowledge-based, creative software development strategies at the time, the waterfall method became standard practice. The waterfall model is a linear and sequential project management framework.
Gennaro is the creator of FourWeekMBA, which reached about four million business people, comprising C-level executives, investors, analysts, product managers, and aspiring digital entrepreneurs in 2022 alone | He is also Director of Sales for a high-tech scaleup in the AI Industry | In 2012, Gennaro earned an International MBA with emphasis on Corporate Finance and Business Strategy.
