This document discusses common objections to adopting Scrum and provides responses to each. It addresses concerns about the need for fixed dates and milestones, benefits of early development and testing, fears about changing scope or "descoping" work, working with clients, dealing with changing features, including various roles on Scrum teams, and addressing irrational objections to change. The key messages are that Scrum already provides planning mechanisms, changing scope can be managed, transparency builds control, and addressing people's concerns is important to overcoming resistance to the change that Scrum requires.

1. Resistance to Scrum
Jon McNestrie
Development Manager / Team Lead
http://www.meetup.com/Agile-North-East/

2. Scrum Framework
Resistance to Scrum - Jon McNestrie http://www.meetup.com/Agile-North-East/

3. I need fixed dates!
• A common misconception is that Scrum doesn’t
allow for any planning or milestones
• Often Gant charts and the dreaded MS Project are
used as a crutch
Resistance to Scrum - Jon McNestrie http://www.meetup.com/Agile-North-East/

4. I need fixed dates!
• You already plan as part of
Scrum!
• Story point estimation of your
backlog gives you a velocity
• Minimum Marketable Feature-
set of your product or next
release can be identified
• Release planning allows you to
workout what can fit in your
next release
Resistance to Scrum - Jon McNestrie http://www.meetup.com/Agile-North-East/

5. Why develop/test so early?
• In a Waterfall projects there are ‘neat’ slices of work
to be done by designers / developers / testers
• It looks well organised and efficient
• The goal is to defeat the Cone of Uncertainty
Resistance to Scrum - Jon McNestrie http://www.meetup.com/Agile-North-East/

6. Why develop/test so early?
• You’re really leaving the hard things till later
• Turns into a Bombshell of Uncertainty
Resistance to Scrum - Jon McNestrie http://www.meetup.com/Agile-North-East/
• By developing and
testing early on you
uncover the issues
and difficulties early

7. • One of the most common objections
• Often born out of complex and document heavy
change control processes
You just want to descope work!
Resistance to Scrum - Jon McNestrie http://www.meetup.com/Agile-North-East/
• The fear you have to overcome
is that there will be no control
and you will deliver nothing!

8. You just want to descope work!
• Changing scope works both ways
• People need to be persuaded that change is your
friend
Resistance to Scrum - Jon McNestrie http://www.meetup.com/Agile-North-East/
• Change isn’t free though!
• Transparency gives you
back control

9. But the client won’t go for that!
• In a consultancy world clients are often used to fixed
price work
• Time and materials is sometimes seen as paying for
time without knowing what you’re getting
Resistance to Scrum - Jon McNestrie http://www.meetup.com/Agile-North-East/

10. But the client won’t go for that!
• The key is trust
• Client benefits from the flexibility, efficiency and
transparency just as much as you do
• Issues like level of involvement can be overcome with
‘Proxy’ Product Owner
• Builds a strong, on-going relationship with client
Resistance to Scrum - Jon McNestrie http://www.meetup.com/Agile-North-East/

11. The features are fixed!
• In a Waterfall project you’ll spend a lot of time
agreeing exactly what is in scope upfront
• It can be uncomfortable not to have this agreement
before committing.
Resistance to Scrum - Jon McNestrie http://www.meetup.com/Agile-North-East/
• Surely we know what to
build?!

12. The features are fixed!
• Are the features really fixed?
• When people and opinions are involved things will
change
• Could the market change?
• Features are your contingency!
Resistance to Scrum - Jon McNestrie http://www.meetup.com/Agile-North-East/

13. What about the Architects?
• …or the Project Manager
• …or the UX Designer
• …or the Ops Team
• …or the Sales Person
• …or the Department Head!!
• There are lots of roles it seems hard to see how they
fit into a Scrum team
Resistance to Scrum - Jon McNestrie http://www.meetup.com/Agile-North-East/

14. What about the architects?
• Can they be scheduled and included?
• Might need to be managed as a dependency
• Still need everyone who might be involved in
delivering the whole product
Resistance to Scrum - Jon McNestrie http://www.meetup.com/Agile-North-East/

15. Any other completely irrational
objection
• Many people fear change
• The status quo can be very
comfortable
• Dislike (or think they dislike)
Scrum
• Try to be the rational one and
educate
Resistance to Scrum - Jon McNestrie http://www.meetup.com/Agile-North-East/

16. Be Pro-active
• Find the people who matter and care and win them
over.
Resistance to Scrum - Jon McNestrie http://www.meetup.com/Agile-North-East/

17. Any others?
Resistance to Scrum - Jon McNestrie http://www.meetup.com/Agile-North-East/