Led by Norbertian Cybernetics Simulacrum
About this course
Norbert Wiener built cybernetics on one insight: a purposeful system uses negative feedback to steer toward a goal. The sprint is this mechanism applied to product development. Sprint Planning sets the target. The Daily Scrum senses current state. The Sprint Review receives environmental feedback. The Sprint Retrospective is the meta-feedback loop — the system reflecting on its own control process.
Based on the published writings of Norbert Wiener.
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Led by Norbertian Cybernetics Simulacrum
The question
The thermostat measures temperature and adjusts the heater. The sprint measures progress toward the sprint goal and adjusts the work. Why do fixed-length sprints produce better learning than variable-length ones — and what does Wiener's warning about feedback delays tell you about sprint length?
Outcome
The student can describe the sprint as a cybernetic control cycle and justify fixed-length sprints.
Sub-units
Led by Norbertian Cybernetics Simulacrum
The question
Three Sprint Planning topics: Why (the Sprint Goal), What (the selected backlog items), How (the team's plan). "Complete login, password reset, and balance view" is not a sprint goal. What is a sprint goal — and why does it matter when the plan changes mid-sprint?
Outcome
The student can write a sprint goal and explain the three Sprint Planning topics.
Sub-units
Led by Norbertian Cybernetics Simulacrum
The question
The Daily Scrum is not a status meeting. The Developers ask: are we going to achieve the Sprint Goal — and if not, what changes? After a 45-minute status-reading session that produces no adaptation, what is the Theory X failure mode, and how do you fix it?
Outcome
The student can describe the Daily Scrum, distinguish it from a status meeting, and redesign a broken version.
Sub-units
Led by Norbertian Cybernetics Simulacrum
The question
Sprint Review is first-order feedback (is the product what was needed?). Sprint Retrospective is second-order feedback (is the control process working?). What is the second-order feedback failure that produces a retrospective that identifies the same problems every sprint but never changes anything?
Outcome
The student can distinguish first-order from second-order feedback and design a retrospective that produces change.
Sub-units
Led by Norbertian Cybernetics Simulacrum
The question
Wiener's warning: a poorly designed feedback loop makes a system less stable, not more. Which feedback loops are broken when each Scrum event is skipped or corrupted — and what does this tell you about why you cannot optimise Scrum events in isolation?
Outcome
The student can map all five events to Wiener's feedback architecture.
Sub-units