One question I receive fairly often from harried ScrumMasters is: how do I help a poorly performing Scrum team member improve? What can I do to make that person perform better? To answer this question, you must decide if you agree with a key foundational belief in Scrum: the power of intrinsic motivation. People who have internalized Scrum values believe in intrinsic motivation.

My clients who are still unsure about Scrum often ask me, “What are the benefits we’ll reap from doing Scrum? What are the downsides to using it?” Oh my – I could write a book to answer this.