What comes after Scrum? An outlook on the future of agile methods

This year our Technology Days took place again at doubleSlash. Particularly impressive was a presentation by a colleague who addressed the question "How will we work in the future?".

He highlighted various influencing factors, trends and the predictive quality of future ways of working. This talk inspired me to explore a more specific question: "What comes after Scrum?" Since its introduction in the early 1990s, Scrum has established itself as one of the leading agile frameworks. Companies around the world use it to improve their product development cycles and respond more quickly to market changes. According to a 2023 report by Digital.ai, 87% of organizations using agile methods now rely on Scrum. (1)

The evolution of Scrum: adaptations over time

Scrum is rarely practiced "by the book", as the original developers intended. In our projects, we repeatedly observe that organizations adapt the framework to their specific conditions and challenges. The methods used to implement the Scrum framework are modified or supplemented by other practices. This flexibility and adaptability are key to the continued success of Scrum in different industries. At the same time, maintaining the agile core values is a constant challenge the further you move away from the "original".

The main drivers for adjustments are:

Corporate culture and structure: For our large multinational customers, Scrum is often adapted to better harmonize with the globally distributed teams and the existing corporate hierarchy. Specific communication channels and regular cross-location reviews are implemented, which also take account of the different time zones.
Team size and project scope: Our automotive customers have combined SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework: a framework for implementing agile methods in larger organizations) with the Scrum framework to coordinate different product domains in order to manage larger initiatives with multiple teams. This transformation facilitates coordination and collaboration across multiple teams and resolves dependencies more quickly. This transformation does not stop at reorganizing the entire company structure.
Industry-specific requirements: Many industries, such as medical technology, have adapted Scrum to the strict regulatory requirements of their industry. This is a trend that is being driven by the voluntary standardization of Information security (TISAX(2)) is also becoming increasingly prevalent in the automotive industry. Special roles, such as the information security officer in the project and security and compliance processes, are added. This integrates compliance and risk management into the agile teams.

The agile landscape is therefore constantly changing, with methods having to be continuously adapted to new technologies and ways of working. In our opinion, disruptive approaches that fundamentally change agile practice are not currently discernible. However, there are trends that could strongly influence the further development of Scrum.

Which hype technologies could influence Scrum?

The technologies and trends that Gartner has identified as particularly relevant in the Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies 2023 and the Emerging Tech Impact Radar for 2024 could influence the way Scrum is applied. In particular, the integration of new tools for collaboration and AI optimization could be significant. Highlighted technologies include advanced collaboration tools, virtual and augmented reality for immersive meetings, and artificial intelligence to optimize processes (Gartner)(3).

Although Scrum will continue to play a central role in the agile world, its ongoing adaptation is crucial. Agile methods are not a static set of rules, but a living, evolving process that adapts to the needs of modern organizations. The discussion about "What comes after Scrum?" is not so much a question of an end, but rather the beginning of a new phase in the evolution of agile practices.