Empiricism

What is empiricism?

Empiricism is the practice of gaining knowledge through direct experience, observation, and experimentation rather than relying on assumptions or predictions. In scrum, empiricism means that teams make decisions based on what they have learned from completed work rather than trying to plan every detail upfront—what happens in the future is unknown, but what has already happened is known and observable. Because complex work often involves uncertainty, empiricism allows teams to adapt as they gather new information rather than following rigid plans that may become outdated.

Why is empiricism important?

Scrum is built on empiricism because it supports adaptability in unpredictable environments. Rather than believing a plan will always be right, scrum teams regularly review their work, learn from it, and adjust their approach. By staying transparent, inspecting progress, and adapting as needed, they keep improving and making smarter decisions.

Scrum reinforces empiricism

Scrum teams support empiricism by making work and progress as transparent as possible. They rely on scrum's artifacts—the product backlog, sprint backlog, and increments—to make decisions based on what they can observe and learn.

• The product backlog changes as teams gain a better understanding of customer needs and priorities. Instead of following a set-in-stone plan, the product backlog is modified based on feedback, new insights, and evolving circumstances to keep the work focused and valuable.
• The sprint backlog represents the team's best understanding of how to achieve the sprint goal at any given moment. As the team gains new insights during the sprint, it adjusts the sprint backlog to reflect the expectations of work needed to meet the sprint goal.
• The increment is a clear demonstration of empiricism in action. Each completed increment provides tangible evidence of progress made and value delivered, which allows teams to inspect actual outcomes, progress towards the product goal, and determine the next steps.

By frequently inspecting these artifacts and adapting them as needed, scrum teams base their work on experience rather than speculation.

How scrum teams apply empiricism

Scrum teams apply empiricism by making their work easy to see, working closely together, and learning from experience. Charts like burndown charts and cumulative flow diagrams can help track progress, but they don't replace regular conversations about how the work is going.

Delivering value every sprint allows teams to gather real feedback from stakeholders and respond to actual conditions rather than inflexible plans. Sprint reviews give teams the chance to showcase their work and adjust their approach, while retrospectives help them reflect on challenges and find ways to improve in the next sprint.

Frequently asked questions

How does empiricism differ from traditional planning?

Traditional planning often assumes that all details can be known upfront, while empiricism acknowledges that new insights emerge through experience. Instead of trying to predict everything in advance, scrum teams rely on short feedback loops to make adjustments as they go.

What makes transparency essential to empiricism?

Transparency is one of the three empirical pillars of scrum, along with inspection and adaptation. Transparency ensures that everyone involved in a scrum team, including developers, product owners, and stakeholders, has access to the same accurate and up-to-date information. Without transparency, inspection and adaptation become unreliable because decisions may be based on misleading or incomplete data.

Can scrum teams use forecasts while still being empirical?

Teams can use forecasting techniques to get a sense of possible outcomes, but these should serve as guides, not guarantees. With empiricism, real progress comes from what has been done and learned, not from predictions.

How does empiricism help teams manage complexity?

By focusing on learning through experience, teams can more effectively navigate uncertainty. Instead of clinging to an initial plan, they adjust based on their observations, which leads to better decision-making and more successful outcomes.