You can “do Scrum” and still get thin results.

The events happen.
Roles exist.
Tools look busy.


And yet decisions don’t improve, because Scrum rarely fails in the events.
It fails underneath them.


If this feels familiar, you’re exactly the audience for the book.

  • Your team is busy, but decisions don’t get better.
  • Events happen, but nothing changes afterward.
  • The mechanics look fine… yet outcomes quietly thin out.


Most teams don’t get stuck because they misunderstand Scrum.
They get stuck because the structure stays (events, artifacts, roles) while the fundamentals weaken,
and the system turns into theatre with a calendar.




What this ebook helps you see,
fast


This book is written as a diagnostic.

It asks a more useful question than “are we doing Scrum correctly?”
It asks: “What is this Scrum element reinforcing right now, and what is it weakening?”

Because that’s how erosion hides:

  • the meeting ends and the decision stays the same
  • the language stays, but nobody pays the behavioral cost anymore
  • the tools stay, but shared understanding leaks into side chats and spreadsheets

The fundamentals,
the load-bearing stuff


In this ebook, “fundamentals” means the seven things Scrum depends on in the real world:

  • Transparency,
  • Inspection,
  • Adaptation,
  • a Done Increment,
  • the Scrum Values,
  • a self-managing team, and
  • a cross-functional team.



They’re not “nice to have.”
When they weaken, Scrum can still look healthy, and outcomes quietly thin out.



How the ebook is structured,
and why it’s practical


Each chapter connects one Scrum element to one fundamental.

Elements = the 11 things you already know:

  • 5 events (Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective, the Sprint),
  • 3 artifacts (Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, Increment),
  • 3 accountabilities (Product Owner, Developer, Scrum Master)

Fundamentals = the 7 load-bearing conditions

That creates 77 intersections you can use like a diagnostic shelf.

Each chapter ends with one next move: a small change designed to survive real-life constraints and expose the real ones.


Use it like field work,
not homework


You’re not meant to read this like a novel.

A simple way to use any chapter:

  • Name the symptom
  • Find the one sentence that changes how you see it
  • Try one next move next Sprint
  • Inspect what changed, keep it only if it helps

And yes: there are reader paths for common pains; zombie events, date politics, stakeholders absent, retros that change nothing.

A quick taste of the tone

The classic rationalization is: “We did all the events.”

This book’s response is not “do the events better.”

It’s:

  • If transparency doesn’t change what people are willing to say out loud, you’re not being transparent, you’re decorating the truth.

  • If inspection doesn’t change what you do next, you’re not inspecting, you’re performing.

  • If adaptation doesn’t change what you plan, build, or stop, you’re not adapting, you’re just having meetings with feelings.

Ouch...
Useful ouch...


Who this is for,
and for who it isn’t


This is for you if you already know Scrum, but want better decisions, clearer trade-offs, and more Done learning per Sprint.


This is not for you if you want new ceremonies, templates, scripts, or a way to “do Scrum correctly” without changing behavior.

About the author

Steven Deneir is a Scrum.org Professional Scrum Trainer and consultant.

He helps teams stop hiding behind events, roles, and tools when the fundamentals are missing.


Final Call to Action

If your calendar is full but your outcomes aren’t showing up, start here.