Comment by specialist | Hacker News Reader

Comment by specialist | Hacker News Reader

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"Scrum is intended to be the straightest line towards measuring your real progress on a project, and not much else."

More like wandering in the desert, hoping you find the promised land.

Been thru scrum master training 3 times, been on many "agile" teams. I've never heard this rationalization. Rather, a common justification for "agile" was you always have a working product. Which might be nice if things worked out that way.

Also, PMI style critical path worked just fine for figuring out that "straight line".

Scrum and "agile" democratized project management, empowering every poseur to claim expertise and ability. Whereas PMI required real effort to learn and master, Scrum flavored "self help" books can be flipped thru before you finish your coffee and then safely stored in plain sight on a book shelf, never to be touched again, allowing said poseur to claim the daily mutant chaotic dysfunctional mismanagement that they've always done is now "agile".

If you're objecting to people who treat scrum (or any project management tool) as a one-stop-shop that will cure all ills I agree with you, but nobody here is saying that.

If you are objecting to defining the scope as small tasks and measuring your progress through that over time, then continually re-evaluating this scope as requirements change, then I think you are not working in an environment that would benefit from this kind of tool.

Its just a pragmatic set of guidelines, and objecting to it with such ridiculous vitriol makes you sound as foolish as the people I think you're objecting to.

My goal is to ship products that people will buy and use. Scrum and "agile" has only been an impediment.

"with such ridiculous vitriol"

Emperor, little boy, no clothes. It's thankless work.

In opposition, defenders of Scrum et al use the No True Scotsman's fallacy. Because those of us who have tried and failed are just morons.

Considering failure rate of PMI led projects is even higher then agile projects for software. I really wouldn't hold that up that as the way to go.

PMI (critical path) != waterfall. But then that's also said of "agile", which too often devolve to waterfall.

Project management is risk mitigation. In my experience, most "agile" projects have been risk amplifiers. Ironic.

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