Scrum is one of the most widely used frameworks in Agile development, but it doesn’t always deliver the results teams and organizations hope for. Why? Is Scrum the problem, or is the way it’s implemented causing the issues? Recently, I asked my network: What are the top reasons Scrum might not be working for you? Here’s a synthesis of their insights about why Scrum fails and my reflections on why these challenges arise and how to overcome them.
1. Why Scrum Fails: Management Challenges
One of the most common themes around why Scrum fails is management’s role—or lack thereof—in making Scrum work. As Jeremy, a seasoned professional I spoke with, pointed out, managers often fall back on traditional methods they are comfortable with, such as centralized decision-making and top-down control. While these methods may have worked in more predictable, process-driven environments in which top-down management can work, they can conflict with Scrum teams’ ability to self-manage making it difficult for people doing the work to spot problems on the ground level and change their plan quickly to meet goals.
The Disconnect
Scrum is designed to empower teams to take ownership of their work. It emphasizes collaboration, adaptability, and transparency. However, traditional management often revolves around command-and-control approaches that prioritize oversight, defined process and direct management. This misalignment creates friction:

- Decision-Making Bottlenecks: Managers accustomed to approving every decision can stifle the speed and flexibility Scrum teams need to be successful.
- Erosion of Team Trust: Overly controlling managers undermine the trust and psychological safety essential for team members to take initiative, experiment, and improve.
- Resistance to Change: Long-time managers may view Scrum as a threat to their authority or see it as a fad rather than a transformative approach to product development.
The Root Cause
One of the primary reasons for these challenges is that many managers are not formally trained in modern management techniques, let alone Agile leadership principles. In technical roles, professionals often undergo years of education and certification to master their craft. In contrast, managers frequently “work their way up” based on technical expertise or tenure, without structured guidance on how to lead effectively in complex, Agile environments.
While some larger organizations offer management training programs, small- to mid-sized companies often leave managers to figure things out on their own. This lack of foundational knowledge leads to reliance on outdated methods that are incompatible with the foundational ingredients that make Scrum work.
The Solution
Transitioning managers to become Scrum-compatible leaders requires intentional effort. Here’s how organizations can help:
- Invest in Training and Development:
Equip managers with the knowledge and tools needed to lead in an Agile context. Formal training in Scrum and Agile principles is essential, Professional Agile Leadership Essentials is a great starting point. Organizations should also invest in ongoing professional development tailored to leadership in Agile environments. - Encourage a Mindset Shift:
Help managers see their role as gardeners rather than controllers. You can’t force a rose to grow but you can create an environment in which they thrive. Managers should focus on creating an environment in which Scrum teams can grow and thrive by removing impediments, providing resources, and building trust. They should help mature the team to the point where the manager can feel quite comfortable taking vacations knowing the team will make the right decisions. - Provide Practical Resources:
For managers seeking self-improvement, here are some excellent books to begin their journey:- Drive by Dan Pink: Explores what motivates people in knowledge work and how to create an environment where individuals feel empowered.
- The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt: A must-read for understanding how to think systemically about processes and improvement.
- The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni: Focuses on building healthy organizational cultures and teamwork.
- Management 3.0 by Jurgen Appelo: Offers practical tools and techniques for managers leading Agile teams.
- Mentorship and Peer Learning:
Create opportunities for managers to learn from those who have successfully navigated the transition to Agile leadership. Peer coaching, case studies, and sharing best practices can accelerate the learning curve. - Reinforce Scrum Values:
Encourage managers to embody Scrum values—commitment, courage, focus, openness, and respect—in their leadership style. This alignment fosters a culture where teams feel empowered to innovate and take ownership of their work.
The Impact of Agile-Aligned Management
When managers adopt a Scrum-compatible approach, they empower their teams to achieve higher levels of performance and engagement. Instead of acting as bottlenecks, managers become enablers or gardeners, clearing obstacles, growing team maturity and aligning efforts toward shared goals. This shift not only benefits teams but also drives organizational success by fostering a culture of continuous improvement and adaptability.
Ultimately, successful Scrum implementation begins with leadership. Managers who embrace their evolving role in Agile environments will be better equipped to guide their teams through challenges and capitalize on the opportunities Scrum offers.
2. Why Scrum Fails: Partial Adoption of Scrum
Teams frequently pick and choose elements of Scrum that feel comfortable or convenient, leaving behind crucial aspects of the framework. This “Scrum à la carte” approach undermines its effectiveness. Often, the easiest-to-implement elements—such as adding a Daily Scrum while keeping all other workflows unchanged—are selected, while more transformative aspects, like cross-functional teams, self-management, empiricism, and incremental delivery, are ignored.
Why It Happens
Adopting Scrum fully requires effort, discipline, and a willingness to change. It challenges existing habits, roles, accountabilities, and structures, which can be uncomfortable. As Simon pointed out, Scrum is a complete system—not a loose set of guidelines to be selectively applied. If you purchased a table saw without a fence or a saw blade would you still call it a table saw?
Skipping essential components often stems from:
- Fear of Change – Organizations may resist changing long-standing processes. models, or hierarchies.
- Lack of Understanding – Teams may not fully grasp why Scrum is structured the way it is. Nor do they understand the consequences or removing or modifying pieces.
- Desire for Quick Wins – Some are looking for immediate results. They may cut what is believed to be fluff when in actuality they are eliminating key pieces.
Solution
Scrum is designed to wrap around your existing development processes and management practices—not to replace them entirely, but to expose inefficiencies and opportunities for improvement. It’s a system that thrives on transparency, inspection, and adaptation.
To succeed:
- Commit to the Using the Framework as Designed – Understand why each component exists and how it contributes to the whole.
- Educate Stakeholders – Ensure leadership, teams, and Scrum Masters are aligned on the importance of adhering to the framework as designed.
- Embrace Discomfort – Scrum will reveal organizational weaknesses; instead of avoiding them, use them as opportunities for growth, change and progress.
Resist the temptation to cherry-pick the easy parts. Instead, learn the structure, trust the structure, and cross the learning curve. Let Scrum work as it was intended.
3. Why Scrum Fails: Unrealistic Expectations
Another common misconception about Scrum is that it is a magical fix for all organizational problems. Some business leaders expect it to deliver immediate results to get failing projects back on track, even under tight deadlines. As Simon pointed out, this misunderstanding leads to frustration when Scrum doesn’t quickly transform chaotic processes into smooth, high-output, high-value development.
This expectation often stems from misinterpreting what Scrum really is: it’s not a silver bullet but a structured framework that enables teams to inspect, adapt, and improve over time. When organizations view Scrum as a quick fix rather than a continuous learning process, they set themselves up for disappointment.
The Reality
Scrum doesn’t guarantee success—it exposes problems. It offers transparency into what’s working and what isn’t. As mentioned earlier, it makes problems visible so they can be addressed. If an organization has deep-rooted cultural or structural issues, Scrum will highlight them, but it cannot resolve them on its own. That’s where you come in.
For example:
- If teams struggle to meet their Sprint Goals, the issue might not be Scrum itself but an unrefined Product Backlog, overloaded Sprint Backlog, unclear priorities, or dependencies outside the team’s control.
- If managers feel they’re losing control, the real issue might be a lack of trust or an outdated leadership mindset rather than Scrum creating chaos. If you have a team of motivated, qualified individuals who you trust to achieve results, why wouldn’t you as a manager want to step back and let them do their job?
Scrum reveals inefficiencies, but it’s up to leadership and teams to act on these insights and improve their ways of working.
Solution
- Educate Stakeholders – Ensure that managers, executives, and team members understand that Scrum is a tool for continuous improvement, not an instant cure-all. Transparency and adaptability take time to yield results.
- Set Realistic Expectations – Communicate that meaningful change requires patience and effort. Organizations need time to adjust their culture, refine their workflows, and develop a mindset which supports adaptability in complex environments .
- Track and Address Organizational Challenges – Rather than expecting Scrum to “fix everything,” document challenges in a transparent, shared space. Tackle them one at a time in order of impact. Over time, this approach builds momentum and excitement as teams and leadership see tangible improvements. See ADKAR for an interesting approach to managing this change.
- Focus on Incremental Progress – Encourage teams to measure success by their ability to adapt and improve, rather than their ability to deliver precisely the features they promised 4 weeks ago.
Scrum works best when embraced as an ongoing journey, not a one-time solution, much like becoming a healthy person; you’re never really done being “fit”, you’re just constantly improving. Organizations that recognize this will see gradual, sustainable improvements, rather than fleeting or frustrating attempts at agile transformation.
4. Why Scrum Fails: Poorly Trained Scrum Masters
The role of the Scrum Master is central to a Scrum Team’s success. Unfortunately, as Simon pointed out, many Scrum Masters lack proper training, don’t stay up to date with the latest Scrum Guide, or fail to develop the skills necessary to teach, advise, mentor or coach teams effectively. Inexperienced or underprepared Scrum Masters often become passive facilitators rather than active enablers of agility and success.
Why It Matters
A poorly trained Scrum Master is like a fitness coach who has never lifted weights but gives workout advice. They might know the terminology, but they lack the understanding and experience to truly guide someone toward high performance. Without proper expertise, a Scrum Master can introduce bad habits, misinterpret and teach a distorted version of the framework, and ultimately prevent the team from delivering real value.
Seen another way: if you wanted to learn Karate, would you pick an instructor (sensei) who doesn’t understand both the basics and advanced techniques? A bad sensei might show you the wrong form, fail to teach you discipline, and leave you frustrated with slow progress. The same applies to Scrum Masters. If they aren’t skilled in the craft, ideally at an expert level, the team won’t progress, and Scrum will feel like just another set of meetings rather than a game-changing framework.
But the problem goes beyond just one Scrum Master being ineffective—it can create a ripple effect that impacts the entire organization.
Symptoms of an Untrained Scrum Master
Scrum Becomes Mechanical – You have all the meetings in place, people take on the accountabilities of Scrum Master, Product Owner, Developers, you make the Product and Sprint Backlog, but your increments are undone and of little value, your Product and Sprint Goals lack purpose, You have the wrong, if any, stakeholders involved in Sprint Reviews, and quality suffers due to a poor definition of done. Sure, on the outside it looks right but there is a big difference between looks and substance.
Lack of Coaching & Facilitation – Scrum Masters are meant to coach teams who already understand Scrum in practices and advanced strategies to succeed, not just schedule meetings or take notes. A weak Scrum Master won’t challenge the team to continuously improve. A weak Scrum Master enables the Scrum Team to see the Scrum Master as purely tactical and not strategic.
Inability to Remove Impediments – A great Scrum Master helps Scrum Teams get unstuck, they help keep the flow of value going, while an untrained one lets roadblocks persist and sometimes doesn’t realize it. Good Scrum Master’s build relationships in the organization, so they know where to go to remove impediments. Good Scrum Masters are ruthless at identifying and tackling impediments. If teams constantly struggle with external dependencies and organizational friction, the Scrum Master may not be fulfilling their duty to the Scrum Team.
Failure to Educate Stakeholders – Scrum isn’t just about the Scrum Team; it’s also about working with Product Owners, leadership, and the organization. A weak Scrum Master won’t help align leadership expectations, leading to frustration and resistance. They won’t help teach the stakeholders why the Scrum Team works as it works and what benefits they should expect to see. They won’t teach the power of incremental delivery and thus no one will ask for it.
The Solution: Invest in Real Scrum Masters
Hire Professionals – Like i mentioned previously, a Scrum Master isn’t just a meeting scheduler. Organizations should look for Professional Scrum Masters who have demonstrated a deep understanding of Scrum. Certified Scrum Masters and those carrying other certifications may also work. but regardless of your favorite certifying body, the main idea is they are educated, experienced, and know how to demonstrate it.
Hire and Grow Lifelong Learners – Scrum evolves, and so should Scrum Masters. They should stay up to date with the latest Scrum Guide, attend industry related conferences, and continuously sharpen their teaching, presenting and coaching skills.
Hire and Build Leaders Who Serve – A Scrum Master isn’t just there for the Scrum Team—they serve three key areas:
- The Scrum Team – Teaching Scrum, guiding the team toward high performance, and removing impediments.
- The Product Owner – Helping them understand business agility and maximize value delivery.
- The Organization – Driving agile transformation beyond the team level. Leading agile transformations, presenting applicable business agility concepts to other (often ignored) parts of the organization including finance, accounting, and human resources.
Support Their Growth – A Scrum Master’s journey doesn’t end with a short class and a certification. Encourage them to practice Systems Thinking, Lean principles, and Professional Coaching techniques.
Measure the Right Outcomes – Instead of tracking how many retrospectives measure things like:
- Are Scrum teams improving Sprint over Sprint?
- Are impediments being identified and removed in a timely fashion?
- Is there a culture of continuous improvement?
- Are we learning more about how to improve outcomes each Sprint?
Final Thoughts: Scrum Masters as Agility Champions
A great Scrum Master is more than just a servant leader—they are change agents, mentors, and coaches who help teams navigate the complexity of product development. When Scrum fails, it’s often because organizations underestimate how much impact a highly skilled Scrum Master can have.
If you want Scrum to work, invest in your Scrum Masters. Give them the training, support, and overall ability to help teams thrive. If you do, you won’t just have better Scrum—you’ll have better teams, better products, and a more adaptable organization.
5. Why Scrum Fails: Resistance to Transparency
Scrum requires transparency. It is fundamental to the framework because without it, teams cannot properly inspect their work, identify issues, or make meaningful improvements. However, some individuals or organizations resist transparency due to fear of judgment, reluctance to (or fear of) change, or concerns about losing control. As Simon pointed out, some people actively discourage transparency, which weakens Scrum’s effectiveness.
The Impact
Without transparency, the process of inspection and adaptation breaks down. Teams may struggle to identify roadblocks, stakeholders may misunderstand progress, and leadership may make decisions based on incomplete or inaccurate information. Over time, this lack of visibility creates larger issues that can lead to Scrum failing altogether.
A big risk that comes from limited transparency is the accumulation of unresolved problems. Instead of exposing challenges early and addressing them, teams might choose to conceal obstacles, either out of fear of repercussions or a desire to avoid difficult conversations. As these issues grow, productivity suffers, frustration builds, and trust between Scrum teams and leadership erodes.
You’ll often see a blame culture in low transparency organizations. If Scrum Team members believe that openly discussing problems will result in negative consequences, they are less likely to bring up concerns, take ownership of mistakes, or share honest feedback. This undermines the core Scrum value of openness and turns Sprint Reviews and Retrospectives into ineffective, waste-of-time meetings rather than opportunities for real improvement.
If you find poor decision-making at all levels of the organization, you likely have a big problem with transparency. Scrum teams rely on accurate information to make adjustments during each Sprint. When progress is misrepresented or hidden, it becomes impossible to make informed decisions about what needs to be changed or improved. This leads to wasted effort, missed deadlines, and a failure to deliver real value to customers even if all of the required scope was finished. Low transparency always means subpar results.
Solution
Build a culture where transparency is valued and rewarded. Build trust within teams so they feel safe exposing challenges and discussing improvements openly. Build trust between individual contributors, managers and senior leaders to ensure accurate information gets to the places its needed. To do so requires an active effort to building an environment of safety. People must see that their ideas are heard, and their fears about sharing important information are unfounded. This must be continuously reinforced by the whole organization to ensure this change sticks. This isn’t easy work, but without it your organization will not reach its full potential.
Final Thoughts
Scrum isn’t perfect, and it’s not always the right fit for every organization building any sort of product. However, many of the issues attributed to why Scrum fails come from how it’s implemented and understood rather than the framework itself. When used as designed and with all required pieces in place, and skilled leadership, and a commitment to transparency; Scrum can drive incredible value.
To those facing challenges with Scrum, ask yourself: Are you truly using Scrum as intended, or just the parts that feel easy? Are your managers equipped to support Agile practices? Are your teams empowered to work collaboratively? The answers to these questions may reveal why Scrum isn’t working for you and what you can do about it.