Why scrum has become irrelevant

Scrum, a methodology for software project delivery, is criticized for its rigid adherence to routine, which can lead to stagnation rather than improvement, similar to plateauing in a gym workout. The methodology's core intent—to encourage teams to learn through experience, self-organize, and continuously improve—has been undermined by poor management practices and the rise of certified scrum masters. This has resulted in standups focusing excessively on moving Jira tickets rather than meaningful progress, and retrospectives becoming monotonous exercises in repetition rather than opportunities for genuine reflection. Story points, intended to measure effort, often lead to gaming the system, either by overloading or underloading sprints, causing technical debt or a narrow focus on minor tasks. In a post-COVID world, scrum's one-size-fits-all approach is increasingly viewed as counterproductive, suggesting that teams should instead track actual completed work and self-organize according to their context, while automating processes to eliminate waste and enhance productivity.