Wasabi Scrum

When the Fake Thing Becomes the Real Thing

Most Scrum out there is like wasabi.

You know, that spicy green stuff that comes with your sushi we like to call wasabi.

Have you ever tasted wasabi before?

Take a look at the picture below. Have you ever been served that with your sushi?

I've got news for you, unless you're Japanese or frequent super-fancy sushi establishments, you most likely haven’t.

That green stuff they call wasabi is not real wasabi, made from Wasabia japonica.

No, it's horseradish where they add artificial green coloring to give it the appearance of real wasabi.

The green spicy concoction they try to pass as wasabi tastes very different than real wasabi.

Most people when they talk about Scrum, they are talking about artificially colored horseradish and not wasabi.

Now, the problem is, if you were to taste real wasabi you would think they’ve made a mistake. Why did they not give me real wasabi?

We end up in a full circle: the fake condiment has become the real condiment.

We have exactly the same problem with Scrum.

The state of Scrum mirrors our wasabi situation: almost nobody has a clue what real Scrum looks like, even if it would be right in front of their eyes.

They would believe it to be something fake, as it is so far removed from what they usually observe.