artiso Tech Talk – Scrum – Dead or Alive?
Scrum is one of the best-known agile frameworks – but is it still up to date? While some consider it indispensable, others question its relevance. Which principles remain, which need to evolve? On 7 May 2025, we focused on precisely these questions and discussed the future of agile methods.
The evening’s speaker was René Guder, Senior Software Developer and Professional Scrum Master at artiso, who can look back on many years of experience in agile software development. His aim was not only to familiarise the participants with the theory of Scrum, but above all to talk about why it often fails in reality – and what we can learn from this.

A look at the history: Where does Scrum come from?
René began his presentation with a brief overview of the origins of Scrum. The idea of a flexible, strongly team-orientated approach was already described in the 1980s in the Harvard Business Review, where the ‘rugby’ approach was presented: Teams work as a unit, continuously adapting and passing the ‘ball game’ (responsibility) flexibly. Later, concepts from the world of fighter pilots, such as the OODA loop (Observe-Orient-Decide-Act), were also incorporated before Jeff Sutherland finally formally presented Scrum in 1995.
After this historical introduction, René went into the basics of Scrum: roles, events and artefacts, supplemented by the principles of the agile manifesto. A central aspect that ran like a red thread through the presentation was the guiding principle:
„Individuals and interactions over processes and tools.“
Focus on humanity
At the centre of the evening was René’s conviction that agile software development only really works if we focus not just on processes and tools, but on what really moves teams. His thesis was:
„Agile software development can only lead to success if we are also allowed to be people.“
This message was underpinned by recent figures from the State of Agile Report: while small companies often use Scrum successfully, satisfaction among medium-sized and large organisations drops significantly. The causes often include a lack of understanding of agile working methods and a lack of training. It became particularly critical when Scrum is only adopted superficially without living the underlying values – referred to as fake agile or dark agile.

Practical examples that encourage
Scrum can also be successful if it is implemented correctly:
Toyota: Combination of Lean and Scrum, 25% less waste through continuous improvement.
Microsoft (Azure): Shorter development cycles thanks to DevOps and CI/CD, 40 % fewer errors, better customer feedback.
Philips: Introduction of SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework), 58% faster feature development.

„People over Processes“ in der Praxis
One of René’s main concerns was to show how the phrase ‘people over processes’ can actually be put into practice in everyday life. He cited the basic psychological needs according to the Self-Determination Theory: autonomy, competence and connectedness. Only if these are fulfilled can teams realise their potential and develop intrinsic motivation.
René particularly emphasised the retrospective as the most important Scrum meeting. It offers teams the opportunity to reflect together, learn from mistakes and continuously improve – a decisive factor for sustainable success.
Recommendations for practice:
- More focus on motivation and emotions, the use of formats such as Glad/Sad/Mad retrospectives.
- Measuring flow instead of pure speed (velocity).
- The conscious celebration of successes and competences in the team.
Conclusion: Scrum needs humanity
In the end, we realised that Scrum is neither ‘dead’ across the board nor fully ‘alive’. The decisive factor is the way in which it is applied. René emphasised that organisations that focus not only on processes but also on people can be successful with Scrum. He emphasised this with a quote from Ken Schwaber, co-founder of Scrum:
„Scrum is like a mirror – it shows you where your organization is sick. But healing requires humanity, not just processes.“

The TECH TALK offered participants a valuable mix of theory, practical examples and personal insights. The exchange afterwards in particular made it clear that the topic moves many teams and organisations – and that there is no simple right or wrong, but above all an invitation to think further together.
artiso solutions GmbH would like to thank all participants for the lively discussion and looks forward to further exciting events as part of the TECH TALK series.

René Guder
René is a Senior Software Developer and Professional Scrum Master with many years of experience in agile software development. At artiso since 2008, he is at home in various process models, feels most comfortable in Scrum and Kanban and has a particular soft spot for ‘Scrummastering’.