Cooking is for everyone? Sure! But also with Scrum?
“Scrum” is considered one of the most popular methods in project management, especially in software development. But can the principles of Scrum be applied to other areas of life, such as cooking? We tried it out and launched the dan pearlman SCRUM KITCHEN. We got to test how Scrum can make kitchen work more efficient and structured, both in our team and with our workshop participants.
Scrum, quickly explained.
Scrum is an agile framework that helps teams tackle complex projects in incremental steps. It is based on three main pillars: transparency, inspection, and adaptation. The key roles in Scrum are the Product Owner, the Scrum Master, and the Development Team. The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the team’s work. They define the product vision and prioritize requirements in the Product Backlog. The Scrum Master serves the team by promoting Scrum principles and practices and removing obstacles that might hinder the team’s progress. The Development Team works as a self-organized and cross-functional team to complete the tasks defined in the Sprint Backlog. The output of a Scrum process includes the Product Backlog, a prioritized list of requirements and tasks necessary for the product, the Sprint Backlog, a list of tasks the team aims to complete during a sprint, and the Increment, the finished product delivered at the end of a sprint.
Scrum, brings you to cooking.
The idea for the dan pearlman SCRUM KITCHEN naturally arose during a multi-day workshop on “New Work.” Scrum as an innovative creative tool was an integral part of the NEW WORK workshop. But even after the official workshop part, we wanted to continue learning and offer guests another highlight. Just catering was definitely too boring; cooking together was much more exciting. Even better was to directly implement the theory learned during the day into practice – and all with a lot of fun!
The challenge of the first SCRUM KITCHEN was to commit a group of 25 workshop participants to prepare a large dinner together without chaos and with a delicious result. It is known that “too many cooks spoil the broth,” so Scrum was supposed to help structure and facilitate the process. Our workshop leader became the host and Product Owner and could specify the menu with special wishes for the evening’s look & feel. An experienced trainer was by our side as Scrum Master, ensuring everything ran smoothly. Our participants counted as the Development Team, tasked with preparing three dishes and decorating the space nicely.
Served up after Scrum
During the SCRUM KITCHEN sprint, everyone worked on their assigned tasks. At the end of the process, the finished dinner – the Scrum product – was on the table. And what can we say: it was delicious, looked good, and came with chic decor and its own branding. Thanks to Scrum, we had three bowls to choose from in no time, classic, Asian, and Mexican. Participants could assemble the bowls themselves following a perfect guide along a long table. A pre-prepared Scrum Kitchen design ensured perfect communication of the dishes. The result was fantastic, with many advantages: Everyone knew what tasks were at hand and who was responsible for what. Adjustments could be made, and unforeseen events were appropriately addressed. By prioritizing and working iteratively, we completed the most important tasks first. The close collaboration and fun brought the teams together and contributed not only to a better understanding of cooking itself but also to the overall success of the workshop. Our conclusion: It was delicious, and all participants confirmed: SCRUM KITCHEN successfully mastered!
Try it at yourself!
Do you want to book the Scrum Kitchen and learn to cook with Scrum? Write an email to hello@danacademy.com.
