Microsoft Lauds Scrum

under_score writes "According to eWeek.com Microsoft is adopting the agile methodology called Scrum to get software built faster. Is it working? They seem to be claiming that Scrum and Extreme Programming have helped them get recent releases such as SQLServer out the door faster with better quality. Many other large organizations are also adopting agile methods including Yahoo, and Google. Are agile methods the next big thing in software development?"

Comments

So let's get this straight

[Anonymous Coward]

Microsoft is lauding scrum for assisting them in delivering a product late and with a smaller featureset than originally planned? Ok, that's certainly an interesting approach. Now we can hear about how scrum is responsible for bringing Longhorn out earlier and with more features than ever expected.

"Scrum", eh?

[__aagctu1952]

So... does that make Microsoft a hive of scrum and villainy?

Re:This is a new thing?

[Spit]

No, Scrum is different. Scrum is a daily meeting that is EXTREME TO THE MAXX!!

I prefer this definition

[ColourlessGreenIdeas]

http://www.scrum.com/rugby_guide/scrums.asp

Do that every time you need to make a decision. Clear all furniture out of the way first.

Death by Buzzword

[RAMMS EIN]

Ok, so what's this scrum thing? According to Control Chaos (the first related hit I got on Google):

Scrum is an agile, lightweight process that can be used to manage and control software and product development using iterative, incremental practices. Wrapping existing engineering practices, including Extreme Programming and RUP, Scrum generates the benefits of agile development with the advantages of a simple implementation. Scrum significantly increases productivity and reduces time to benefits while facilitating adaptive, empirical systems development.

Lots of buzzwords, little information. So let's Learn more:

- Scrum is an agile process to manage and control development work.

  - Scrum is a wrapper for existing engineering practices.

  - Scrum is a team-based approach to iteratively, incrementally develop systems and products when requirements are rapidly changing

  - Scrum is a process that controls the chaos of conflicting interests and needs.
Scrum is a way to improve communications and maximize co-operation.

  - Scrum is a way to detect and cause the removal of anything that gets in the way of developing and delivering products.

  - Scrum is a way to maximize productivity.

  - Scrum is scalable from single projects to entire organizations. Scrum has controlled and organized development and implementation for multiple interrelated products and projects with over a thousand developers and implementers.

  - Scrum is a way for everyone to feel good about their job, their contributions, and that they have done the very best they possibly could.

At this point, my head exploded. This note is a post-mortem plea to press murder charges against the person who wrote that crap.