The
2020 Scrum Guide Update
Celebrating 25 Years of Scrum
It’s been 25 years since the launch of Scrum and 10 years since the launch of the Scrum Guide. With contributions from the Scrum community, Dr. Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber have made updates. The Guide is now crisper, leaner and more transparent. Read on to access the 2020 version of the Guide and the summary of the changes.
Key Changes
The event featured insights from Jeff and Ken, plus expert Scrum practitioners who discussed the updates in the Scrum Guide.
More Transparent
Leaner. Easier to access, and more straightforward, opening the door to more practitioners in new industries and domains.
Less Prescriptive
Scrum is a framework and not a methodology. Experiments, incremental changes, and iterations are the pillars of the practice.
One Framework, Limitless Applications
The updated Scrum Guide is leaner but its core remains empirical. The key pillars of Transparency, Inspection and Adaptation are still the cornerstones of good Scrum. These updates are based on 25 years of Scrum practiced by you, our Scrum community.
If you have taken a class with Scrum Inc. or are a Scrum Inc. Trainer, head over to ScrumLab to access your exclusive highlight reel.
Scrum Guide Update 2020
On November 18th, we co-hosted a live, virtual event to celebrate the launch of the 2020 Scrum Guide. It was a packed event with nearly 20,000 registrants.
The 3-hour event was led by co-creators Jeff and Ken and members of the Scrum community. Through a a variety of sessions and panels attendees had an opportunity to take a deep dive into the latest version of the Scrum Guide. We hope you enjoy the replay of the event, and please share far and wide so that all can benefit from the latest and greatest of Scrum.
Scrum Guide Changes 2020
Executive Summary Notes:
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Even Less Prescriptive
Over the years, the Scrum Guide started getting a bit more prescriptive. The 2020 version aims to bring Scrum back to being a minimally sufficient framework. This was achieved by removing the Daily Scrum questions, softening language around PBI attributes and retro items in Sprint Backlog, shortening the Sprint cancellation section, and much more.
One Team, Focused on One Product
The goal was to eliminate the concept of a separate team within a team that has led to “proxy” or “us and them” behavior between the PO and Dev Team. There is now just one Scrum Team focused on the same objective, with three different sets of accountabilities: PO, SM, and Developers (anybody who is working on the sprint increment).
Introduction of Product Goal
The 2020 Scrum Guide introduces the concept of a Product Goal to provide focus for the Scrum Team toward a larger valuable objective. Each Sprint should bring the product closer to the overall Product Goal.
A Home for Sprint Goal, Definition of Done, and Product Goal
Previous Scrum Guides described Sprint Goal and Definition of Done without really giving them an identity. They were not quite artifacts but were somewhat attached to artifacts. With the addition of Product Goal, the 2020 version provides more clarity around this. Each of the three artifacts now contain ‘commitments’ to them. For the Product Backlog it is the Product Goal, the Sprint Backlog has the Sprint Goal, and the Increment has the Definition of Done (now without the quotes). They exist to bring transparency and focus toward the progress of each artifact.
Self-Managing over Self-Organizing
Previous Scrum Guides referred to Development Teams (team members who are working on the sprint increment) as self-organizing, choosing who and how to do work. With more of a focus on the Scrum Team, the 2020 version emphasizes a self-managing Scrum Team, that chooses who, how, and what to work on.
Three Sprint Planning Topics
In addition to the Sprint Planning topics of “What” and “How,” the 2020 Scrum Guide places emphasis on a third topic, “Why.” This third topic refers to the Sprint Goal.
Overall Simplification of Language for a Wider Audience
The 2020 Scrum Guide places an emphasis on eliminating redundant and complex statements and removing any remaining inference to IT work (e.g. testing, system, design, requirement, etc). The Scrum Guide is now less than 13 pages.
Scrum’s Impact Across Industries And Domains
Scrum is the lightweight framework for solving complex problems. Today, Scrum is being applied in more industries than ever before and the term “Scrum” is now seen on job descriptions around the globe.
We have seen Scrum build rocket ships, deliver construction projects on time and under budget and rethink HR departments to be more people-oriented. Scrum accelerates teams, gets projects to done and new products to consumers.
Here are just a few examples of the impact Scrum has had across industries and domains.
Aerospace Defense
The Rocket Fired By Scrum: Successfully testing a 39.5-foot-long and 378,000-pound rocket motor is no small feat. Doing it for the first time using Scrum is amazing.
Human Resources
From employee engagement to policies and practices to recruiting and retention, Scrum helps HR teams create people practices that enhance the work of the organization while limiting risk.
Healthcare
Hospital networks with a strong culture of innovation and embracing change are a great fit for Scrum. Operating room process improvements have led to better outcomes for patients and more revenue for providers.
Construction & more...
Perfectly suited to meet the end-to-end demands of the design and construction industry, no matter the project, the challenge, or situation. Teams using the framework report increased capacity, quality, and customer satisfaction.
“Thank you for all the work you have done to change the world, and how we work for the better.”
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