Inspect and adapt
Many people within technology and development environments are fully aware of the limitations and frustrations with traditional project management techniques. Most frustrations boil down to a breakdown in communication, eg: what the customer wants is not necessarily what the programmer hears.
Communication is key in solving complex problems and all too often barriers are in place which limit effective communication. These barriers can be bureaucratic, personality based or simply tradition. All too often, teams are caught up in the fog of war and are unable to see the battlefield. Learning how to solve complex problems effectively is something that is not easy. Having the right tools to help facilitate effective communications is not easy but with scrum it can be simple.
Scrum allows us to have regular, timely points within our project delivery where we can inspect our process, our status, our understanding and adapt the way we proceed based on our work so far AND the ever changing road ahead. It creates transparency with the metrics it provides and allows us to see where we are and we we expect to be heading.
