First Principles in Scrum: Foundations
First Principles in Scrum: Foundations
About the Book
Every week I get asked dozens of questions about Scrum from new Product Owners and Scrum Masters on every continent (except Antarctica). Most questions cannot be answered without going back to First Principles. This means you need to understand physics, biology, evolution, and psychology to do Scrum well.
I was the wingman of the sole surviving Ace from World War II in Vietnam. He was a brilliant scientist and engineer, and he taught me a lot about First Principles thinking. I was also lucky enough to engage with similar trailblazers in physics, chemistry, medicine, biology, and AI. They were all part of the search for hyperproductive Scrum, and they make for an exciting story.
In this book, I will share my insights on Scrum and First Principles thinking. I will also tell the stories of the trailblazers who helped me to develop my understanding of these concepts. I believe that this book can help you to become a more effective Agile Manager, Scrum Master or Product Owner.
Table of Contents
- Note to Reader
- Preface
- First Principles Are Simple Rules That Generate the Complexity of Physics
- The Fundamental Attribution Error
- A Journey Into the Quantum Realm
- The Bootstrap
- Wave Equations
- Relating Scrum to These Equations
- The Relationship Between Frequency and Molecular Weight
- Scrum Harnesses the Power of Frequency to Shape the Product
- Examples – Little’s Law and Boyd’s Energy Maneuverability Theory
- Frequencies and Wavelengths
- References
- Converging Fighter Pilot Precision and Cellular Biology: Maximizing Predictability and Minimizing Surprise in Agile Product Management
- Introduction: A Newcomer’s Glimpse into Scrum
- Synchronizing Sky and Cell - The Genesis of Scrum
- Harnessing the Sky: Lessons from the Cockpit
- Embracing the Microcosm: Insights from Cellular Biology
- Synchronizing Sky and Cell: The Scrum Advantage
- Friston’s Free-Energy Principle: A Unified Brain Theory
- The 8 Principles of Free Energy in Individuals and Teams
- Leveraging the Free-Energy Principle: Scrum’s Optimization of Adaptive Agents
- Why Does This Matter: Translating Principles into Hyperproductivity
- References
- How Scrum Depends on Frequency and Wavelength
- Scrum Uses Frequency to Focus Energy to Transform Matter into Product
- The De Broglie Equation
- De Broglie’s Nobel Prize
- Where Does Planck’s Constant Come From?
- The Frequency and Wavelength of a Scrum Team
- The Scrum Master Owns Frequency and the Product Owner Owns Wavelength
- Why Does This Matter?
- References
- Physics, Buddhism and Scrum: Decoding the Second Law of Thermodynamics
- Section 1: The Best Laid Plans of Men Oft Go Awry
- Synopsis Section 1 - Things Get Messy Over Time
- Section 2: The Most Wicked of Problems
- Synopsis Section 2: Putting Together a Puzzle
- Section 3: Understanding Entropy
- Synopsis Section 3: Winning a Video Game
- Section 4. Entropy in Product Development
- Synopsis Section 4: Rising Like a Phoenix From the Ashes
- Section 5: The Solution to Entropy is Turning Back Time
- Synopsis Section 5: Turning Back Time is the Solution to Entropy
- Section 6: Ancient Wisdom Applied to Entropy
- The Four Agile Truths
- A Deep Dive with the Master of Entropy
- The First Noble Truth
- The Second Noble Truth
- The Third Noble Truth: Nirodha
- The Fourth Noble Truth
- Synopsis Section 6: Ancient Wisdom Applied to Entropy
- Conclusion
- References
- Self-Organization: Islands of Hope in Entropy’s Sea of Chaos
- 1. Introduction: The Trilogy of Innovation
- 2. Diving Into Self-Organization
- 3. Self Organization Spontaneously Arises
- 4. Why Is This Important?
- 5. The Beginnings in Physics
- 6. Self-Organization in Biological Systems
- 7. From Physics and Biology to Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS)
- 8. The Computational Bridge: Wolfram’s Cellular Automata and the Second Law
- 9. The Precursor to Agile Evolution: Scrum’s Genesis
- 10. Scrum and Punctuated Equilibrium: Forging the Future
- 11. Scrum’s Synergy with Wolfram’s Islands of Self-Organization
- 12. Navigating the Entropy with Scrum: Finding Order in Chaos
- 13. Conclusion
- References
- The Pattern Paradigm: Unveiling the Hidden Architecture of World-Changing Ideas
- Revisiting the Innovation Trilogy
- Wolfram’s Patterns of Self-Organization Arising from Chaos
- Christopher Alexander: Patterns, QWAN, and the Timeless Way of Building
- Scrum: A Pattern Language for Hyperproductive Teams
- A Scrum Book: The Spirit of the Game - Essential Patterns for Hyperproductivity
- Friston’s Free Energy Model and Scrum Team Performance
- Discovering the Sweet Spot: Achieving QWAN in Product Development
- Scrum and Information Growth: Overcoming Entropy Through Collaboration
- Tesla’s Evolutionary Design Strategy: Achieving QWAN Through Continuous Innovation
- Tesla’s Octovalve: A World-Changing Innovation in Thermal Management
- Tesla’s Gigafactory: Octovalve Technology Scaling to Industrial AI Cooling
- Tesla’s Thermal Revolution: Transforming Everything It Touches
- The Innovation Trilogy: Transforming Theory into World-Changing Reality
- The Innovation Trilogy in the Age of AI: Accelerating World-Changing Breakthroughs
- The Exponential Pace of Change
- References
- Where Does Agile Come From: Wave Structure of Matter
- Introduction
- The Copenhagen Doctrine
- Occam’s Razor
- Simplest Explanation for E = mc2 = hf
- Conversation Between Milo Woff and Jeffrey Hasselburst
- Scrum and the Wave Structure of Matter
- Other Wave Theories
- Why Does This Matter
- References
- Lessons in Chemistry: Everything You Need to Know About Scrum You Can Discover in the Laboratory
- Lessons in Chemistry
- Everything is Unpredictable Yet Interconnected
- Computational Irreducibility
- The Observer in Scrum - Making Sense in an Unpredictable World
- Minimizing Bayesian Surprise Requires Sustainable Pace
- Two Essentials for Sustainable Pace: Individual and Team Responsibility
- Conclusion
- Interviewed by an AI: Celebrating Bill Hendee and the Roots of Scrum in Radiation Physics
- The Center for Vitamins and Cancer Research
- Why is this relevant to Scrum?
- Turnabout: The AI Interviews Me When I Ask It Questions
- Establishment of the Rocky Flats Monitoring Committee:
- Activities of the Committee
- Outcomes and Legacy
- Concluding Reflections: Honoring Bill Hendee’s Enduring Legacy
- The Agile Brain: Exploring the Neuroscience Behind Scrum
- Introduction
- Friston’s Free Energy Model of the Brain
- Neuroscience and Scrum
- 1. Collaborative Environment and Social Neuroscience
- 2. Mirror Neuron Effect
- 3. Iterative Progress and the Zeigarnik Effect
- 4. Feedback Loops and Dopamine Reward System
- 5. Adaptive Change and Neuroplasticity
- 6. Empirical Process Control and Predictive Coding
- 7. Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Emotional Regulation
- Enhancing Team Performance through Neuroscience in Agile Practices
- Direct Measurement of Neuroscience Effects in Agile Practices
- Conclusion
- References
- Epilogue: Our Journey Continues
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