# Serious Scrum Playbook

Serious Scrum is for those who are serious about improving at Scrum. We created the Serious Scrum Playbook for writers, editors and members of our community. In it, we leave out certain prescriptive elements of Scrum. Our aim is to allow our members to discuss Scrum beyond the latest guidelines. This playbook supports them in sharing experiences on how to uncover ways to address complex problems as they are improving at Scrum.

### Bottom-line Serious Scrum Playbook

We believe Scrum boils down to the following:

* Deliver increments of value every iteration
* Decide within the team
* Build trust
* Inspect and adapt each step of the way

In complex environments, what will happen is unknown. Therefore, *experiment*; try and experience what works and what does not. *Simplicity* and *consistency* are the keys to addressing complexity. *Happiness* and *satisfaction* lead to higher engagement by everyone and are keys to optimizing for value.

### Empiricism

Empiricism is making decisions based on observation and experience. Empiricism builds on *exploring the unknown* and figuring out the next steps along the way. This works best when people engage in changing environments and complex challenges.

By applying empiricism to Scrum, better decisions are made through:

* Enhancing visibility
* Developing a shared understanding
* Performing frequent and diligent inspections and forming new hypotheses

Empiricism improves the ability to act timely, confidently and autonomously as the understanding of the complex problem enhances.

Scrum Teams improve conditions and behavior to build trust so they can thrive.

### Goals

Goals define desirable outcomes. Goals provide flexibility in what is needed to achieve them. Goals provide direction and focus, encouraging people to work together. Ideally, the Scrum Team focuses on one goal before taking on the next.

### Increments

An increment is a *concrete* stepping stone towards a goal. The increment helps to address a degree of complexity from which value can be derived. An increment is the primary measure of progress towards a goal.

### Artifacts

Artifacts aid to resolve complex problems. They may be useful to enhance transparency, yet they can also contribute to complexity. An artifact may have any shape or form.

### The Scrum Team

A Scrum Team is small, nimble, and has the skills to create and deliver valuable increment(s) each iteration. They act through invitation, not coercion. They internally determine what conditions help solve complex problems to optimize for value. They are empowered and accountable to create these conditions.

### Iterations

Valuable increments are created in time-boxed events called iterations.

During an iteration, the Scrum Team establishes and is committed to achieving its goals. All the work the Scrum Team deems necessary, including planning, inspection and adaptation happens regularly within iterations. Scrum Teams collaborate with those using the results, to inspect the outcomes and determine what to resolve next. During the iteration, the Scrum Team inspects and improves itself.

### Endnote

Scrum is free and described in [the official Scrum Guide](https://scrumguides.org/). We have read and agreed to be bound by the terms of the Attribution Share-Alike license of Creative Commons under the Scrum Guide it is filed and protected. This gives us the freedom to build upon the material.

We want to thank [Gunther Verheyen](https://medium.com/u/ff470261a066?source=post_page-----29daaa14b794--------------------------------) for supporting us and being a source of inspiration for the Serious Scrum Playbook.

The Serious Scrum Playbook is maintained by&#x20;

[Willem-Jan Ageling](https://medium.com/u/a55fee07a2c4?source=post_page-----29daaa14b794--------------------------------), [Maarten Dalmijn](https://medium.com/u/b40569a4ce51?source=post_page-----29daaa14b794--------------------------------) and [Sjoerd Nijland](https://medium.com/u/f60973888071?source=post_page-----29daaa14b794--------------------------------).
