Scrum was a game-changer when it came onto the scene. It helped us escape the slow, inflexible world of waterfall development. Back then, breaking work into two-week sprints, collaborating closely, and delivering regularly felt revolutionary. Many teams today still benefit from Scrum’s structure, especially when they’re new to Agile practices, working on fixed-deadline projects, or co-located in an office.
But as work has evolved, embracing remote-first cultures, continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD), and flexible schedules, Scrum’s default practices sometimes feel misaligned with modern workflows.
Here’s why I think Scrum doesn’t always work anymore, what we can do instead, and how we can better support teams today.
Why Scrum Doesn’t Work Well Anymore
It Was Meant for Developers, Not Managers
Originally, Scrum was built by developers for developers. The goal was to give teams more autonomy and reduce inefficiencies. But now, Scrum is often imposed by management, not embraced by the team.
- Daily standups turn into status reports.
- Sprint reviews are seen as deadlines instead of opportunities to showcase progress.
- Meetings become non-negotiable, even when they’re disruptive.
Meetings That Interrupt Deep Work
Scrum’s rituals — daily standups, sprint planning, retrospectives, backlog grooming — offer valuable opportunities for alignment. But when layered with additional meetings (e.g., one-on-ones, ad-hoc syncs), the cumulative impact on developers’ focus can be significant. For creatives who rely on long periods of deep work, context switching every hour isn’t just disruptive, it’s counterproductive.
Remote Work Challenges
Scrum was designed for co-located teams working traditional office hours. In a remote-first world, daily rituals like standups at 9:00 a.m. don’t always make sense, especially when team members span multiple time zones or embrace flexible schedules.
Instead of rigid synchronization, async tools like team chat check-ins, shared documents, or video capture (e.g. Loom) can maintain alignment without forcing everyone into the same meeting at the same time.
It’s Not Compatible with CI/CD
Scrum’s two-week sprint cycles work well when the goal is delivering larger milestones. But modern teams aim to release multiple times a day. The sprint model can feel overly rigid, leading to overplanning (“lock-in” to a sprint goal) or overengineering (delaying smaller features for sprint reviews).
By shifting to a more continuous flow mindset, teams can focus on delivering small, incremental changes as soon as they’re ready, which better aligns with CI/CD principles.
Scrum’s sprint mentality can lead to:
- Overplanning: Developers are locked into a sprint plan that doesn’t allow for changing priorities.
- Overengineering: Teams deliver features after the end of a sprint, even if they could have shipped them earlier.
Where Scrum Still Shines
It’s important to recognize that Scrum remains incredibly useful in certain contexts:
Teams New to Agile
Scrum provides a clear structure to help teams learn how to break down work, collaborate, and deliver iteratively.
Projects with Fixed Deadlines
If a project has a defined end date, sprints create a predictable cadence of progress.
Co-Located Teams
Scrum rituals thrive in environments where teams share the same space and schedule.
For these scenarios, Scrum delivers immense value. But for remote, CI/CD-driven teams, it might feel like forcing a square peg into a round hole.
Why Management Loves Scrum
To be fair, Scrum works well for management:
- It creates a predictable schedule of deliverables.
- It provides regular updates via standups and sprint reviews. -It forces teams to reflect on their processes during retrospectives.
Managers often work on a management calendar, which is meeting-heavy by design. They need alignment and visibility to do their jobs. Developers, on the other hand, work on a creative calendar, where long periods of uninterrupted focus are essential.
The problem is when management’s calendar takes over, leaving no room for the creative calendar.
Counterarguments (and Why They Don’t Hold Up)
"Scrum keeps everyone aligned."
Alignment is crucial, but does it always require rigid, synchronous rituals? Remote-first and async-friendly teams achieve alignment through tools like team chat check-ins, shared dashboards, or documentation. These methods provide visibility without disrupting focus time or forcing everyone to work on the same schedule.
"Meetings are important for collaboration."
Absolutely, collaboration thrives on communication. However, meetings should be a last resort, not the default. Tools like Miro boards, Loom videos, or shared documents allow teams to brainstorm and collaborate asynchronously. When meetings are necessary, grouping them into blocks preserves the deep work required for creative problem-solving.
"Scrum ensures we deliver regularly."
Scrum’s sprint cycles do provide a predictable rhythm for delivery, but they can feel artificial in a CI/CD world. By shifting to continuous flow models like Kanban, teams can still deliver frequently, but without the constraints of planning and delivering in sprint-sized chunks. Regular delivery becomes a natural outcome of working iteratively, rather than a sprint-driven milestone.
"Scrum helps teams reflect on their processes."
Retrospectives are one of Scrum’s most valuable rituals, but they don’t have to be tied to a sprint cycle. Teams can schedule retrospectives periodically, either monthly, quarterly, or after major milestones, ensuring they still learn and improve without being confined to sprint-based reviews.
What We Can Do Instead
Adopt Kanban for Flexibility
Kanban emphasizes continuous flow over sprints. Teams track work visually and deliver as soon as tasks are ready, rather than waiting for the end of a sprint. It’s a better fit for CI/CD pipelines and teams needing to shift priorities dynamically.
Embrace Async Communication
Rather than daily standups, teams can share updates asynchronously using tools like Confluence or Jira. Progress reports and blockers can be posted at the end of the day, allowing teammates to check in on their own schedules.
Condense Meetings
When meetings are necessary, group them into blocks. For instance, schedule all weekly team syncs on one afternoon, freeing up the rest of the week for focused work.
Focus on Small, Incremental Delivery
Replace the sprint goal mindset with a “deliver when ready” approach. Encouraging smaller, shippable changes aligns better with CI/CD while still fostering continuous improvement.
Final Thoughts
Scrum was a revolutionary step forward in Agile’s evolution, and it continues to work well for many teams. But as our workflows change, so must our methodologies. By adopting flexible frameworks like Kanban, embracing async communication, and focusing on CI/CD principles, we can create environments that support creativity and innovation.
What do you think? Have you faced challenges adapting Scrum to modern workflows? What approaches have worked for your team?
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