Last Update: The Scrum Guide was previously updated in Nov 2017 and this update comes after three years, around the same time. This update is a significant one IMHO because all direct or indirect references to software are removed. The previous version (2017) did succeed in that, to some extent, but this version is far more cleaner. Why did the authors remove all references to software or even the word “software” ? – Because Scrum has crossed the software boundary and is increasingly getting used in other domains as well – like marketing, education, drug discovery, etc.
Who is impacted (from most to the least)
- Trainers coaches and consultants who teach scrum based on Scrum Guide – Now they have to update the content. If they are delivering certification programs for either Scrum Alliance or Scrum.org, there is also an impact on the CSM Test and PSM test respectively. Naturally, as these organizations follow the Scrum Guide, it is expected that these organizations will update their content/learning objectives and tests in the near future.
- Scaling framework creators – people who use Scrum to build scaling frameworks
- Example – Large Scale Scrum, Nexus framework for scaling, and Scrum@Scale (please note, SAFe does not use the version of Scrum as described in the Scrum Guide)
- Scrum Masters who teach scrum to their teams and organizations
- Teams that are already delivering value in an interactive incremental fashion. If you, your team, and your organization are delivering value frequently, learning, and making changes, you should not care much about these changes.
Helping Teams and Organizations be Agile 