“These events work because they implement the empirical Scrum pillars of transparency, inspection, and adaptation.”
Today’s hero is the least sexy word in that sentence: “and.”
The Scrum punchline: in that Scrum Guide sentence, “and” is not decoration. It’s a dependency.
What “and” means in professional Scrum
- All three are required. Not “pick your favorite pillar.”
- No prioritization. It’s not “main pillar + optional extras.”
- No sequencing. It’s not “first transparency, later we’ll inspect, someday we’ll adapt.”
In other words: one without the others is waste. Two without the other is also waste.
Sounds trivial.
It’s not.
Because teams fail here while proudly believing they’re doing great.
How the waste shows up (real-life patterns)
- Transparency without inspection: “Look, everything is visible!” …and nobody checks if it’s true. Your board becomes a museum of intentions.
- Inspection without adaptation: you run Sprint Reviews and Sprint Retrospectives like pros… and change nothing. That’s not empiricism. That’s theatre, even without snacks.
- Adaptation without transparency: “We pivoted!” based on half-truths and wishful thinking. Congratulations, you just scaled randomness.
Practical tips, so “and” becomes operational.
- Name your weakest pillar (this Sprint). Make it explicit.
- Make it observable. What do we see happening today? What will we see that proves it improved? Not “we talked about it.”
- Add one micro-habit in an event. For example
During Daily Scrum: call out one hidden risk (transparency). During Sprint Review: inspect the Increment, not the slide deck (inspection). During Sprint Retrospective: pick one change that starts tomorrow, not next quarter (adaptation).
Because “and” will call you out.
If you’re honest: which pillar does your team overdo… and which one do you quietly skip? £
Drop it in the comments as: “We’re strong at ___, weak at ___.”
No explanations. Just the diagnosis.
Scrum on!
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Wishing you an inspiring read and a wonderful journey.
Scrum on!
