Agile 101: Scrum ValuesJuly 27, 2016

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Agile 101: Scrum ValuesDaniel Wilson

Email: senddanemail@gmail.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-wilson-87244aa3

About me

Systems Analyst at Gentrack - Career in software began in 1998 - Agile advocate - Student of agile: ICP, ICP-ATF, ICP-ACC, PSM I, PSPO I, PSD I, SPS, PSP

PhD in Philosophy - Value theory - Lectured in ancient Greek philosophy

Aim: To bring philosophical tools and models to bear on the humanistic elements of agile practices.

“Scrum Values” section from “The Scrum Guide” (2016)

“When the values of commitment, courage, focus, openness and respect are embodied and lived by the Scrum Team, the Scrum pillars of transparency, inspection, and adaptation come to life and build trust for everyone. The Scrum Team members learn and explore those values as they work with the Scrum events, roles and artifacts.“Successful use of Scrum depends on people becoming more proficient in living these five values. People personally commit to achieving the goals of the Scrum Team. The Scrum Team members have courage to do the right thing and work on tough problems. Everyone focuses on the work of the Sprint and the goals of the Scrum Team. The Scrum Team and its stakeholders agree to be open about all the work and the challenges with performing the work. Scrum Team members respect each other to be capable, independent people.” (p. 4)

“Commitment”

https://www.scrum.org/About/All-Articles/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/95/Commitment-vs-Forecast-A-subtle-but-important-change-to-Scrum

“a dead scrum master is a useless scrum master”

Some questions

• How should we best make sense of the Scrum values?• How do we know when we’re correctly exhibiting the Scrum values and not missing the mark? For example, courage is a Scrum value but “a dead scrum master is a useless scrum master”.

• Why do some who profess to live by agile values and principles—and show a good understanding of them—sometimes fail to exhibit those values?

• What are the contributing factors for the frequently reported situation in which newly-established agile teams sometimes revert to their old, pre-agile habits after initial coaching?

Aristotle and the Nicomachean Ethics

Aristotle’s Moral Psychology

- hierarchy of ends- highest end is Eudaimonia (happiness, flourishing)- Eudaimonia involves contemplation and is self-sufficient- The science that studies the highest good is political science

Virtues of Character and the Structure of the Soul (Psuche)

http://www.slideshare.net/johanautio/aristotelian-virtue-ethics

Focus vs. akrasia

(Some of) Aristotle’s Virtues

Sphere Deficiency Virtue Excess

Fear and confidence

Rashness Courage (andreia)

Cowardice

Honour on a small scale

Unambitiousness [Nameless] Over-ambitiousness

Anger ‘Inirascibility’ Even Temper (praotēs)

Irascibility

Social relations Quarrelsome Friendliness (philia)

Obsequious

Honesty about oneself

Mock modesty Truthfulness (alētheia)

Boastfulness

Aristotle characterises virtue (#1)

..with regard to actions also there is excess, defect, and the intermediate. Now virtue is concerned with passions and actions, in

which excess is a form of failure, and so is defect, while the intermediate is praised and is a form of success; and being praised and being successful are both characteristics of virtue. Therefore virtue is a kind of mean, since, as we have seen, it aims at what is

intermediate.

Aristotle characterises virtue (#2)

Virtue, then, is a state of character concerned with choice, lying in a

mean, i.e. the mean relative to us, this being determined by a rational

principle, and by that principle by which the man [or woman] of practical

wisdom would determine it.

Courage (andreia) and even temper(praotēs)

Characteristics of Right Anger

1) at the right things2) with the right people

3) in the right way 4) at the right time

5) for the right length of time

Respect (philia)

Aristotle on friendliness

…he will associate with people in the right way, but it is by reference to what is noble and what is useful that he will aim at not

causing pain to others or at pleasing them. For he seems to be concerned with

pleasures and pains that arise in private relations with others; and whenever it is not

noble for him to add to the enjoyment of others, or is harmful to do so, he will object to doing it and rationally choose to cause

them pain.

Aristotle on friendliness

…Again, if the other’s doing something would bring great disgrace

on him, or cause some harm, while opposition would cause only slight pain, the person with virtue will not accept the action, but object to it.

Commitment

Aristotle on proper ambition…as in the giving and taking of money

there is a mean, an excess, and a deficiency, so also we can desire honour more or less than is right, and from the

right source, and in the right way. For we blame both the honour-lover, for seeking honour more than is right and from the

wrong sources, and the person uninterested in it, for not rationally

choosing to be honoured for even noble things.

Openness (alētheia)

Aristotle on truthfulness

…someone who, when nothing is at stake, is truthful in what he says and the way he

lives because that is what his state of character is like. A person such as this

would seem to be good. For someone who loves truth, and is truthful when nothing is at stake, will be all the more truthful when something is at stake, since he will avoid

falsehood as something disgraceful, having already avoided it in himself.

Comparison

Aristotle’s Moral Psychology Agile

Right habits -> student of virtue -> phronimos Shu-Ha-Ri (Cockburn)

Virtuous acts as ends in themselves Intrinsic Motivation (Pink)

A flourishing individual is good; a flourishing community (polis) is better

Facilitating high-performing teams

Aristotelian Virtues and excellent character traits (aretē)

Scrum Values

Self-control vs. Incontinence (akrasia) Focus

Courage (andreia) and even temper (praotēs) Courage

Friendliness (philia) Respect

Proper ambition Commitment

Truthfulness (alētheia) and Friendship Openness

Conscious Cultivation of Virtue Development of Emotional Intelligence

Some questions (revisited)

• How should we best make sense of the Scrum values?• How do we know when we’re correctly exhibiting the Scrum values and not missing the mark? For example, courage is a Scrum value but “a dead scrum master is a useless scrum master”.

• Why do some who profess to live by agile values and principles—and show a good understanding of them—sometimes fail to exhibit those values?

• What are the contributing factors for the frequently reported situation in which newly-established agile teams sometimes revert to their old, pre-agile habits after initial coaching?

Additional links

Scrum Values:• Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber, “The Scrum Guide” (July 2016), http://www.scrumguides.org/download.html

• Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber, “Scrum Guide Refresh” (July 2016), https://www.scruminc.com/scrum-guide-refresh/

• Ken Schwaber and Mike Beedle, Agile Software Development with Scrum (Pearson, 2001)

• Gunther Verheyen, Scrum – A Pocket Guide (Van Haren Publishing, 2013)• Jacek Durlik, “5 Scrum values”, https://www.kainos.pl/blog/5-scrum-values/

Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics:• Roger Crisp (Ed.), Aristotle – Nicomachean Ethics (Cambridge University Press, 2000)

• Rosalind Hursthouse, On Virtue Ethics (Oxford University Press, 2002)

 

Group Activity1-2-4 & Beyond

15-20 minutes

Coming eventsNext Event : Speaker: Vincent DirksDate: August 10, 2016Time: 5:45 pmVenue: WG126

Thanks

• Event organised by volunteers• Special Thanks to Jim(SERL) for venue and catering• Thank you to our sponsors ASB, Assurity and SERL

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