Scrum Is Incomplete by Design

Scrum is incomplete by design. This characteristic is both deliberate and strategic. By being intentionally incomplete, Scrum provides a foundational structure that can be universally applied across diverse industries. It offers a set of accountabilities, events, and artifacts that define its core but deliberately avoids prescribing specific practices or detailed processes. This flexibility allows organisations to fill the gaps with practices, tools and processes that best fit their unique context and needs.

This design choice stems from the understanding that complex work is unpredictable. No one-size-fits-all solution can address every challenge or nuance. By refraining from dictating every detail, Scrum encourages teams to inspect and adapt to discover the best solutions for their challenges.

However, this strength can also be a vulnerability, especially for those new to Scrum. New Scrum Teams might feel adrift without clear directives on handling every situation. They might grapple with questions like how to technically implement continuous integration, how to conduct effective code reviews, or which design patterns to employ. Since Scrum doesn’t prescribe answers to these, Scrum Teams often turn to established complementary patterns and practices to fill these gaps.

The patterns and practices provide common solutions to problems faced by Scrum Teams. Using them does not remove the need to inspect and adapt through Scrum to discover if the patterns suit your specific environment, team and product.

The following content covers some common patterns and practices to help you use Scrum.