BUS 4600 · Agile and Scrum: Scaling Scrum

Led by Mary Parker Follett Simulacrum

Power-with, not power-over — scaling Scrum through Follett's coordination theory. Scrum of Scrums, SAFe, LeSS, Nexus, and the agile organisation.

1. Module 1

   Why Scaling Is Hard

   Led by Mary Parker Follett Simulacrum

   The question

   The coordination tax grows faster than the team count. Conway's Law: systems reflect the communication structures of the organisations that build them. Who has the knowledge that the decision-makers lack — and what coordination architecture would fix it?

   Outcome

   The student can describe the coordination tax, explain Conway's Law, and identify scaling failure modes.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 1.1 Scaling Failure Analysis Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   Begin the course → Print certificate of completion
2. Module 2

   Scrum of Scrums

   Led by Mary Parker Follett Simulacrum

   The question

   Scrum of Scrums is a coordination surface between teams. The four questions: what did we complete, what will we complete, what is blocking us, what are we about to put in another team's way? What is the difference between a coordination meeting and a status meeting?

   Outcome

   The student can describe Scrum of Scrums and design one for a multi-team product.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 2.1 Scrum of Scrums Design Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   Open this module → Print certificate of completion
3. Module 3

   Scaling Frameworks: SAFe, LeSS, and Nexus

   Led by Mary Parker Follett Simulacrum

   The question

   SAFe adds planning layers. LeSS strips everything back to one backlog. Nexus adds an integration team. Each is a different answer to: how do you maintain team autonomy while achieving cross-team coordination? Which best implements power-with rather than power-over?

   Outcome

   The student can compare SAFe, LeSS, and Nexus and recommend one for a given scenario.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 3.1 Framework Selection Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   Open this module → Print certificate of completion
4. Module 4

   Integration, Dependency Management, and the Shared Definition of Done

   Led by Mary Parker Follett Simulacrum

   The question

   Six weeks of separate development, then a week before release the teams discover their work is incompatible. Follett: this conflict is information about a missing shared assumption. What was missing — and what coordination mechanism would have surfaced it earlier?

   Outcome

   The student can apply Follett's integration principle to cross-team conflict and explain the integrated DoD.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 4.1 Integration Conflict Analysis Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   Open this module → Print certificate of completion
5. Module 5

   The Agile Organisation

   Led by Mary Parker Follett Simulacrum

   The question

   Follett wrote that the purpose of organisation is not command but the creation of conditions in which people can do their best work. What does an organisation need to do — in structure, authority, culture, and financial planning — to make scaled Agile work rather than merely look like it works?

   Outcome

   The student can describe aligned autonomy as the scaling principle and design the organisational conditions for successful Agile at scale.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 5.1 Final Essay: The Agile Organisation Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   Open this module → Print certificate of completion