Shu Ha Ri is a martial arts term used to describe beginner, intermediate and advanced levels and the progression of learning, understanding and capabilities that practitioners possess at each level. Conceptually these same levels are useful to frame expectations with agile adoptions, but it doesn’t take long for confusion to arise.
By applying Shu Ha Ri to an agile adoption using Scrum, for example, you would most likely expect that the Scrum framework will be practiced strictly by the book at first, since the Shu level advocates applying techniques without modification. Yet an oft-heard phrase from experienced agile practitioners is, “Agile is different for every organization.” In addition, it is common to hear agile coaches emphasize that agile practices should be applied in context with the values and principles of the agile manifesto, which blends the Shu and Ha levels together.
