“Let’s throw away our current way of working and use Scrum!” I’ve heard it. I’ve seen it. And I’ve seen the chaos it creates—disruption, confusion, and frustrated people walking out the door.
Scrum doesn’t demand a scorched-earth reboot though. It allows teams to start where they are—with their current tools, workflows, and techniques—and wrap the framework around them.
From the #Scrum Guide: “Scrum wraps around existing practices”
From Cambridge Dictionary: “wrap around: to put a piece of clothing or material around someone or something, usually to keep them or it warm”.
In this case, the “something” being wrapped is your existing practices. And no, Scrum isn’t here to keep them warm and cozy—it’s here to help you inspect whether they still serve your purpose.
Every team, company, and organization has its own way of working—practices that once made sense and got the job done. Maybe not as effective as is currently needed, yet they did the job. So why would you throw them away without a proven alternative.
Has Scrum already shown it's a better alternative? And does it truly replace your existing practices entirely? Probably not—and that’s okay.
Scrum introduces just enough structure—roles, events, and artifacts—to support learning, adaptation, and value delivery. It doesn’t replace your current practices; it creates natural moments to inspect and improve them.
Scrum doesn’t judge the practice—only whether it supports empiricism and delivers value. Useful practices will stick. Others—those that block flow, obscure transparency, or no longer deliver value—will reveal themselves through inspection. Scrum doesn’t force you to drop them. It helps you see why you might want to.
So don’t rip everything out. Wrap Scrum around what you already do—and use each Scrum event as a moment to reflect:
- During Sprint Planning: use existing practices to shape how you achieve your Sprint Goal.
- Wrap your QA processes into the Definition of Done—and improve them as you learn.
- Let Sprint Reviews expose what works and what doesn’t, especially when it comes to outcomes and stakeholder engagement.
- Use Retrospectives to continuously adapt your ways of working.
What are your current practices helping you achieve? Where do they create friction or waste? Which ones are overdue for inspection?
Scrum won’t replace your process—it’ll help you evolve it.
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!
