Summer Vacation

With life returning to normal in this post-pandemic world, many are thinking of a real vacation. The question comes up “Should I keep up Scrum for Your Life during the vacation?” The answer is complicated. It depends to some extent on how long you’ve been doing it. I keep mine up all year long regardless of vacation, as some of my goals are accomplished through vacation. I don’t expect that everyone will want to do this, but here is the risk.

If you take a long vacation, say ten days or more, and you don’t keep up on Scrum for Your Life, you run the risk of not returning to it when your vacation is over. It just so happens that some habits - the ones that are good for us - are easier to break than they are to make.

If you put aside Scrum for your vacation, make a firm commitment to return to it when it’s over. Set a calendar reminder for yourself to get back to your Daily Scrum, your Sprint Review and the other ceremonies. Vacations are good for clearing your head and you may even discover some value shifts. So go ahead and enjoy your break. Just be prepared to jump back in when you return.