As an expert hybrid agile software professional, I have spent countless hours working with various agile methodologies, including Scrum. One thing that often surprises people is that Scrum was created before the Agile Manifesto. This raises an interesting question: which came first, Scrum or Agile? In this blog post, I will explore this question and compare it to the age-old debate about the chicken and the egg.

Scrum was created in the early 1990s by Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber as a framework for managing complex work through iterative and incremental development. It emphasizes teamwork, collaboration, and frequent inspection and adaptation. While their initial focus was on software development, they soon realized that the framework could be applied to any type of work that involves a team working towards a common goal.

On the other hand, the Agile Manifesto was created in 2001 by a group of software developers who were looking for a better way to develop software. The manifesto promotes values such as customer collaboration, responding to change, and working software as the primary measure of progress.

So, which came first, Scrum or Agile? The answer is that Scrum came first, but it was developed in the context of what we now know as agile development. In this way, Scrum can be seen as the egg that came before the chicken of the Agile Manifesto.

This analogy can be taken even further. In the world of complex adaptive systems, which is where agile development gets its inspiration, the true chicken is the system itself. Complex adaptive systems are systems that are made up of many interacting parts that can adapt and change over time. Examples of complex adaptive systems include the economy, ecosystems, and even the human brain.

In this sense, Scrum and Agile are just two eggs laid by the true chicken of complex adaptive systems. They are frameworks that have been developed to help us manage and work within complex adaptive systems, but they are not the systems themselves.

So, what does this mean for us as hybrid agile software professionals? It means that we need to think beyond the specific frameworks and methodologies that we use and focus on the underlying principles of agility and adaptability. We need to understand that we are working within complex adaptive systems and that our success depends on our ability to collaborate, learn, and adapt over time.

In conclusion, the relationship between Scrum and Agile can be compared to the age-old debate about the chicken and the egg. While Scrum came first, it was developed in the context of what we now know as agile development. Ultimately, the true chicken of agile development is the complex adaptive system itself, and Scrum and Agile are just two eggs that have been laid to help us work within these systems. As hybrid agile software professionals, we need to focus on the underlying principles of agility and adaptability and use the frameworks and methodologies that best help us achieve these goals

n the second to last paragraph, I emphasized the importance of focusing on the underlying principles of agility and adaptability, rather than blindly following a specific framework or methodology. This is because blindly following any framework is a recipe for failure, as it can lead to a lack of flexibility and adaptability. Instead, we need to be able to tailor our approach to the specific needs and challenges of our organization.

This is where having an expert hybrid agile coach can be incredibly valuable. An agile coach is someone who has deep knowledge and experience in various agile methodologies, as well as an understanding of how to apply these methodologies in different contexts. They are more akin to chefs than recipe followers because they can use their knowledge and experience to tailor an approach that best suits the unique needs of your organization.

An agile coach can help you identify the underlying principles of agility and adaptability that are most relevant to your organization and then work with you to create a tailored approach that takes into account your specific context, goals, and challenges. They can also help you navigate the complexities of organizational change and help you build a culture of continuous improvement and learning.

In addition to their expertise in agile methodologies, an agile coach should also have strong communication, leadership, and facilitation skills. They should be able to work effectively with all levels of an organization, from individual team members to senior leaders, and be able to facilitate productive conversations and collaboration.

In summary, blindly following any framework is a recipe for failure, as it can lead to a lack of flexibility and adaptability. Instead, we need to focus on the underlying principles of agility and adaptability and tailor our approach to the specific needs and challenges of our organization. Having an expert hybrid agile coach can be incredibly valuable in this regard, as they can use their knowledge and experience to help you create a tailored approach that best suits your unique context, goals, and challenges.