“This is how we’ve been doing it for years!”
Sure… but is it still valuable? Still useful?
Last week, I shared thoughts on how Scrum wraps around existing practices. Today we explore the second part of that powerful sentence from the Scrum Guide:
“Scrum wraps around existing practices or renders them unnecessary.”
Let’s unpack that last bit.
From the Cambridge Dictionary:
- Render: “to cause someone or something to be in a particular state.”
- Unnecessary: “not needed or wanted, or more than is needed or wanted.” - notice the words “or more than”!
In other words: Scrum doesn’t just accommodate your current way of working. It may very well reveal that some of it is no longer serving you—and can be left behind.
Scrum brings transparency to how you work. That transparency creates the conditions for good questions:
- Why are we still collecting all these metrics?
- Who actually reads these detailed status reports?
- Does our approval process still reduce risk—or just delay delivery?
Often, the answer is legacy. A step made sense once… then more got added. And nobody questioned it again. Until now.
That’s one of Scrum’s quiet superpowers: it doesn’t directly challenge your existing practices—it simply makes their effectiveness (or dysfunction) visible. The practices that:
- Add value? → Keep them.
- Obstruct transparency, flow, or value delivery? → Let them go.
This doesn’t mean removing everything overnight. But Scrum creates natural moments to reflect during its Events. Some more questions that might be useful:
- Which steps truly helped us deliver this Increment?
- What felt unnecessary? What slowed us down?
- Are our techniques helping us gain clarity—or just burning time?
And here’s the key: Scrum doesn’t render practices unnecessary automatically. It makes them inspectable—so your team can decide. Together. Because every team is different. Context matters.
The goal isn’t minimalism. The goal is simplified and fit for purpose.
So, which of your practices have become more ritual than reason?
Are you keeping things because they work—or because nobody has challenged them yet?
Looking forward to hearing your examples and thoughts, so please leave a comment; or tag a colleague.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
I hope you find value in these short articles and if you are looking for more clarifications, feel free to make contact.
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Wishing you an inspiring read and a wonderful journey.
Scrum on!
