In pre-Agile organisations, product-related issues and decisions were typically escalated up the management chain to the appropriate level in the hierarchy. When a problem was encountered or a decision was needed, it was referred to more experienced and trusted individuals, usually a committee of managers from different departments. This committee reviewed the information presented to them and sent a decision back to the team.
While this method seemed sensible in theory, in practice, it often led to delays. The Scrum Team had to wait for the committee to meet and make a decision. The committee frequently lacked complete information, causing them to defer the decision and request more details from the team. This cycle of deferral and information gathering led to significant delays, disrupting the team’s progress and making it increasingly difficult to meet deadlines.
