Empiricism
Empiricism is the decision-making stance tested through how Scrum creates transparency, inspects work, and adapts. The exam asks you to distinguish empirical process control from plan-driven control and to spot when an event or artifact fails to support it.
Core rules
- Scrum has three pillars: transparency, inspection, adaptation.
- Transparency requires a shared Definition of Done and a common understanding of the Sprint Goal, Product Goal, and backlog items.
- Inspection happens in Scrum events; it must be frequent enough to detect problems but not so frequent that it disrupts work.
- Adaptation follows inspection and should happen as soon as possible; if a product or Sprint goal is invalid, change it.
Worked example
A team reports 20 story points completed each Sprint but releases nothing. The Scrum Master should not treat the number as proof of progress. The artifact lacks transparency: the Definition of Done may not include releasable quality. Inspection at the Sprint Review reveals no usable Increment, so adaptation is to strengthen Done and reorder the backlog toward value. Reasoning: empiricism starts with transparent facts, not activity metrics.
Traps
Treating Daily Scrum as the only inspection; inspecting without transparency; adapting scope without evidence; using velocity to reward or punish; assuming empiricism means no planning. Planning is allowed; forecasts are revised as evidence arrives.