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Scrum A Pocket Guide – 4th edition

Scrum A Smart Travel Companion

“Uncovering better ways of explaining Scrum”

A Smart Travel Companion on your journey of Scrum!

Dive into the 4th edition of “Scrum A Pocket Guide” by Gunther Verheyen.

“Scrum – A Pocket Guide is an extraordinarily competent book. It should be the de facto standard handout for all looking for a complete, yet clear overview of Scrum without being bothered by irrelevancies.” (Ken Schwaber, Co-creator of Scrum)

This book is a treasure trove of expert knowledge, offering you:

  • “The Agile paradigm” (an historical perspective)
  • “Scrum” (the rules of the game)
  • “Tactics for a purpose” (ways to play the game)
  • “The future state of Scrum” (important challenges)

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By Gunther Verheyen

Scrum A Pocket Guide

In 2013 I created a book about Scrum for Van Haren Publishing, a publishing house based in the Netherlands specialized in IT publications. They were looking to add a book about Scrum to their portfolio. By that time, I had been applying Scrum for 10 years and in the period preceding the actual creation of my book, I had been at the heart of the Scrum storm that was sweeping the Netherlands. I created the book in the time between ending my position at a large international consulting company and embarking on my partnership journey with Ken Schwaber (Scrum co-creator). Still, writing a book about Scrum was anything but a long-lived hope, ambition or dream. Rather, it was an accidental and unplanned endeavor.

My book was published in the ‘pocket guide’ series of Van Haren and became thus known as “Scrum – A Pocket Guide”. I gave my book the subtitle “A Smart Travel Companion” because I wanted to emphasize (a) that it was small in size and (b) that Scrum is all about a journey, rather than about reaching some final, preset destination. ‘Journey’ in this context has a dual meaning: creating and evolving a product (with Scrum) is a journey while improving one’s understanding and use of Scrum is a journey too.

Next to describing what the rules of the game of Scrum are in my book, I added some examples to show how these rules leave room for a variety of tactics to play the game, while adding an historical perspective to Scrum and the Agile movement. I remember how I described the Scrum Values in that first edition in 2013 while also pointing out how the traditional three questions of the Daily Scrum are a good, but optional tactic. Both got added to the official Scrum Guide in 2016 and 2017 respectively.

In the meantime, evolving my pocket guide to Scrum has unexpectedly turned into a journey in itself. After the accidental creation of my pocket guide to Scrum, I decided to deliberately evolve it…a few times.

I updated the book to a second edition in 2019 to offer a slightly more generic description of Scrum, with different words and other angles to the known set of rules. Part of the inspiration came from observing how Scrum was increasingly being adopted to tackle complex challenges, also in domains beyond software and new product development. Although I had learned from my readers that when Scrum is explained from its roots in software development it still makes sense for people in other domains.

The focus of the third edition (2021) remained on clarifying the intent and purpose of the rules and roles in the framework, but it also introduced some changes in terminology. I had learned from my readers that my book offers the, more than ever needed, foundational insights for people and their organizations to properly shape their Scrum, regardless of their domain or business.

Yet, as the ‘doctrine of improvability’ says: “There must be a better way.”

As the balance of society keeps shifting from industrial labor to digital work, complexity and unpredictability keep increasing and so does the need for agility through a tangible framework like Scrum. I want to keep helping people and their organizations properly shape their Scrum, regardless of their domain or business. I want to keep helping people whether they aspire to start with Scrum or whether they need a compass to re-align along their journey.

My initial ambition with this fourth edition (2024) however was to only slightly improve the cohesion of my description of the rules of the game. This is reflected in my revised Scrum Game Board: all aspects of Scrum (rules, principles and values) are now captured in that one visual. But, as these things go with yours truly, I could not resist updating and editing what I wrote before, even the parts I thought I would never touch again. It resulted in a complete make-over with much more refinements than originally anticipated and even a new section called “eXtreme Development” that is part of the “Tactics for a Purpose” chapter.

It is quite amazing and humbling that the result of my accidental work in 2013, after more than a decade, is more alive than ever. Meanwhile, I will strive to keep uncovering better ways of explaining Scrum…

I thank Ken Schwaber for the foreword and his review for the original (2013) edition:
“Scrum – A Pocket Guide is an extraordinarily competent book. It should be the de facto standard handout for all looking for a complete, yet clear overview of Scrum without being bothered by irrelevancies.”

I thank all other reviewers for their much-appreciated feedback on the subsequent editions as well as all translators for their past and on-going efforts to spread my words in different languages. I thank all at Van Haren Publishing, and especially Ivo van Haren (owner) and Bart Verbrugge (editor), for allowing me and helping me to keep expressing my independent Scrum Caretaker view on Scrum.

With my book I aspire to offer you a companion along the way, all the way. I hope you open up my book again now in a while to find information that is most valuable to where you are on your journey at that time.

Scrum Pocket Guide

This Pocket Guide is a concise yet comprehensive guide to understanding and implementing Scrum. This 4th edition continues to refine and expand upon the principles and practices of Scrum, making it an essential resource for Scrum practitioners, teams, and anyone interested in Agile ways of working.

‘Open up this book to find information that is most valuable to where you are on your journey at that time.’

Target audience Scrum Pocket Guide

The target audience of our pocket guide to Scrum includes a wide range of individuals involved in or interested in Agile ways of working, particularly Scrum. Here are the primary groups the book is aimed at:

  • Scrum Practitioners: Individuals who are already working within the Scrum framework, such as Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and Developers. The book serves as a handy reference to deepen their understanding of Scrum principles and practices.
  • Agile Coaches and Trainers: Professionals who mentor, guide or train teams in Agile and Scrum practices will find the book valuable as a concise guide to effectively communicating the essentials of Scrum.
  • Newcomers to Scrum: People who are new to Scrum or Agile ways of working, including project managers, teams and team members transitioning to Agile, or students studying project management, will benefit from the book’s clear and straightforward explanations.
  • Organizational Leaders and Managers: Leaders and managers who want to better understand Scrum to support its implementation within their organizations. The book helps them grasp the importance of the Agile mindset and how to foster environments conducive to Scrum’s success.
  • Anyone Interested in Agile: The book is also suitable for anyone with a general interest in Agile practices, whether they are from software development, product management, or other industries where Agile approaches can be applied.

Scope of Scrum - A Pocket Guide

  • Comprehensive Overview of Scrum
  • Practical Guidance
  • Scrum Mindset and Philosophy
  • Updates and Evolution
  • Addressing Common Pitfalls