ShuHaRi
The three phases
Shu (守) — Following the rules
The first phase is that of faithfully learning the basic rules and practices. The practitioner applies the technique exactly as it was taught, without questioning or adapting it. In the context of Scrum: following the standard framework with discipline, applying the events, artifacts, and roles exactly as described in the Scrum Guide. It is not a less valuable phase: it is the phase in which the foundation that makes everything that follows possible is acquired. The mistakes made by those who jump straight to the ri phase without having gone through shu are common and hard to detect.
Ha (破) — Adapting the rules
The second phase is about beginning to understand the why behind each rule and, from that understanding, adapting the rules to one's own context. The practitioner now knows the rules well enough to recognize when an adaptation makes sense and when it would be a mistake.
In the context of Scrum: adapting the sprint length, combining techniques from different frameworks, and adjusting the events to the team's pace, with enough judgement to know what is being sacrificed with each adaptation.
Ri (離) — Leaving the rules behind and following one's own path
The third phase is that of mastery: practitioners act with fluency and creativity, without needing to consult the rules because they have fully internalized them. It is not that they ignore them: they simply no longer need them explicitly, because the rules have become part of the way they act.
In the context of Scrum: expert management, where the manager makes decisions based on their own judgement and deep knowledge of the system, not on the mechanical application of a framework.
Relationship with agile learning
ShuHaRi connects directly with Scrum Manager's distinction between technical management and expert management. Technical management corresponds to the shu phase: faithful application of the framework. Expert management corresponds to the transition toward ha and ri: conscious adaptation and one's own judgement.
Common Mistake
Jumping to "ri" without having gone through "shu". Many teams adapt or remove parts of Scrum before having applied them with enough discipline to know whether they really add no value. The tendency to "customize" Scrum too early produces ad hoc frameworks that are not Scrum, but are not anything else either: the uncomfortable parts have simply disappeared without anyone having learned why they cause discomfort.
See also
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