This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to "Scrum" by Jeff Sutherland. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading.
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Looking to understand Jeff Sutherland’s book Scrum better? How can these Scrum exercises help your team become more efficient?
According to software developer and management expert Jeff Sutherland, too much time is spent planning, too much energy is wasted on unimportant tasks, and not enough emphasis is placed on flexibility. That’s why Sutherland created the Scrum Method as a more efficient way to develop products.
Here are five Scrum exercises to further your understanding of the Scrum method.
Scrum Book Exercises
The way the business world operates, according to software developer and management expert Jeff Sutherland, is fundamentally flawed. In Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time, he explains the Scrum framework, which he positions as a better time-management system than the traditional top-down approach. By using the carefully structured yet open-ended Scrum framework, a company, or any project team, can become much more efficient and productive.
Here are some Scrum exercises inspired by Sutherland’s book.
Exercise 1: Examine Your Experience With the Waterfall Method
- We’ve all probably used the Waterfall method at some point in our lives. As Sutherland says, it’s an extremely common strategy that has been used for decades. How well has the Waterfall method worked in your experience?
- Think of a time when you used the Waterfall Method, or something similar, to tackle a project. This could just be a simple project you did yourself or something you did with a team. When planning, did you include every task you needed to complete? Did you estimate how long each would take? How long did the planning process take?
- Now think of the process of putting the plan into action. Did everything go according to plan? Did the project take more or less time than you expected? What things changed during the process? Which tasks were added and which were eliminated?
- Looking back on the project, how would you have done things differently? Do you think extensive planning saved or increased time spent on the project?
Exercise 2: Reflect on Your Teamwork
Most of us use teamwork almost every day, whether it be at school, work, or home. Sutherland advises that team members should be allowed the freedom to choose their assignments and direct their actions and that teams should be kept small—no more than nine members. Reflect on some experiences you’ve had working with others.
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Like what you just read? Read the rest of the world's best book summary and analysis of Jeff Sutherland's "Scrum" at Shortform .
Here's what you'll find in our full Scrum summary :
- Why the "Waterfall Method" leads to inefficiency and wasted money
- An explanation of the Scrum method and details on how to implement it
- How to use Sprints to get more work done
