BUS 4100 · Agile and Scrum: The World Before Agile

Led by Demingian Quality Simulacrum

Why Agile emerged — the Taylorist/Waterfall system it was reacting against, Deming's PDCA as the sprint's ancestor, and the Manifesto's intellectual lineage.

1. Module 1

   The World That Agile Was Reacting Against

   Led by Demingian Quality Simulacrum

   The question

   Quality inspected at the end of the process confirms defects — it does not prevent them. The Waterfall model discovers requirements errors two years after they were made, when they are maximally expensive to fix. What management system produced these failure modes — and why did it take until 2001 to reject it formally?

   Outcome

   The student can describe the Taylorist/Waterfall system and its specific failure modes.

   Sub-units

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

   Deming's PDCA: The Ancestor of the Sprint

   Led by Demingian Quality Simulacrum

   The question

   Plan, Do, Check, Act. Sprint Planning, Sprint Execution, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective. The correspondence is direct. What does Scrum add to PDCA that PDCA alone lacks — and what did Deming's work in Japan produce that American management rejected?

   Outcome

   The student can map PDCA to the Scrum sprint and explain three of Deming's Fourteen Points in Agile terms.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 2.1 PDCA Mapping Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   Open this module → Print certificate of completion
3. Module 3

   The Birth of Agile: 2001 and the Manifesto

   Led by Demingian Quality Simulacrum

   The question

   Seventeen practitioners, 68 words, four values, twelve principles. Each value is a direct response to a specific Waterfall failure mode. What is the intellectual ancestry — and what would Deming have made of the Manifesto?

   Outcome

   The student can state the four values, trace each to a failure mode and a Demingian ancestor.

   Sub-units

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

   What Agile Is and Is Not

   Led by Demingian Quality Simulacrum

   The question

   "We hold standups and two-week sprints — so we're Agile." The developer says: "we're doing Agile rituals, not being Agile." Is she right? What is the difference between Agile practices and Agile culture?

   Outcome

   The student can describe three Agile misconceptions and explain the practices-culture distinction.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 4.1 Agile Misconceptions Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   Open this module → Print certificate of completion
5. Module 5

   Agile in Context: When, Why, and Whether

   Led by Demingian Quality Simulacrum

   The question

   A safety-critical railway signalling system across 10,000km of track. A consultant proposes two-week sprints. Using Deming's systems thinking, what would Agile provide in this context — and what would it fail to provide?

   Outcome

   The student can apply a decision framework for Agile adoption and explain the cultural prerequisites.

   Sub-units

   1. ○ 5.1 Final Essay: When Not to Go Agile Open this unit → ✓ ↻
   Open this module → Print certificate of completion