How many times have we been in a project where things go wrong, and suddenly everyone is pointing fingers? The testers blame the developers, the developers blame the product team, and everyone blames the process! It’s a classic scene in many of our IT companies, isn’t it?

When things go wrong, we immediately look for someone to point a finger at. Is it Scrum’s fault? Did our trainer not teach us properly? Is the Product Owner the problem? Or maybe the whole Agile idea is just… well, not for us.

Let’s be honest. It’s easy to blame something or someone far away. If we are struggling, we say, “Oh, this Scrum process is broken!” or “The certification bodies just want to make money.” This is the easy way out.

But let’s pause and think. What is the most basic, simple funda of Scrum? It’s Inspect and Adapt.

Think of it like this. When you’re driving in Indian traffic, you can’t just follow a map blindly. You have to constantly look around—inspect—for that auto-rickshaw cutting you off, the pothole that appeared overnight, or the sudden procession. And then you have to react—adapt—by braking, turning, or just waiting patiently. You don’t blame the car for the traffic, do you? You take control of the steering wheel.

Scrum is your steering wheel and dashboard. It is designed to show you the problems, not to solve them for you. It shines a big, bright light on the issues.

So, if your Product Owner comes and says, “Build this entire feature in the next five weeks as one single story,” what do you do? Do you complain quietly and then suffer?

No! The Scrum framework itself tells you to break work into small pieces that can be finished in one Sprint. If the PO is pushing for something too big, it’s not a “Scrum problem.” It is a “team problem” that Scrum has helped you see.

The most beautiful line in the Agile Manifesto is “Individuals and Interactions over Processes and Tools.” This means YOU, my friend, the developer, the tester, the analyst – you have the power to make a change.

Often, we feel like we are just small parts of a big machine. But a team that works together has immense power. Instead of saying “this process is bad,” we can ask, “How can we make our process better, even in a small way?” We can start a conversation, we can help a teammate, we can suggest a new idea in the retrospective.

Are You Doing “Real Agile” or “Name-Only Agile”?

I see many teams following all the ceremonies – stand-ups, retrospectives, sprint planning – but they are still unhappy and unproductive. This is what I call “Name-Only Agile.” It’s like buying a cricket bat and pads but never learning how to play the game.

We can’t just follow the rules blindly and then complain when we lose. We must understand the spirit of the game. If your “Agile” feels like a list of tasks forced on you from above, it is not true Agile. True Agile gives the team the freedom to decide how to do their work and the responsibility to deliver value.

What is the solution then? The solution is in your room, with your team.

• Maybe the Scrum Master needs to do their job. They are like the team’s coach. They should sit with the Product Owner and explain why a 5-week story won’t work. They must help the PO understand their role better.
• Maybe the Development Team needs to be brave and say, “Sir/Madam, we cannot take on such a big piece of work. It is too risky and we won’t be able to deliver anything of value. Please help us break it down.”
• Own your work: Take pride in what you do. Aim to deliver working software that you are proud of.
• Talk to your team: The solution to most problems is a simple, honest conversation with your team members.
• Be a problem-solver, not a problem-finder: Anyone can point out what’s wrong. Be the person who tries to find a solution.

I cannot give you the exact solution because I am not in your room, facing your problem. But the responsibility to find that solution rests with the Scrum Team. You must talk to each other. You must figure it out together.

This “chalta hai” (let it be/it’s okay) attitude of just accepting problems is the real enemy, not Scrum. You are expected to see the issue, discuss the issue, and fix the issue. Then repeat.

In the end, this is true for Scrum and for life. We cannot always look outside for someone to blame or someone to save us. The power to improve, to solve, and to succeed lies within the team itself.

Ultimately, our professional happiness is in our own hands. Agile is not a magic wand that will fix everything. It is a set of ideas that, when used with responsibility, can help us build amazing things and enjoy our work.

Your work, your team, your responsibility. Inspect, adapt, and move forward. That is the way.

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