Scrum: A timeline of key people and key events

The first Scrum team was founded in 1993. However, the ideas behind it have a longer history. In this post, I'll present a timeline.

Scrum draws from two areas

Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber defined two roles in the Scrum Guide that don't exist in other concepts, at least not by name: 

• The Product Owner is responsible for ensuring the product is coherent and commercially successful.
• The Scrum Master is responsible for good organizational structures, processes, and continuous improvement.

These ideas didn't come out of thin air. We've already published several articles on the idea history of Scrum on this blog. Let's summarize the key events.

Which ideas influenced the role of the Product Owner?

We'll follow two lines of thought. First, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, Gerhard von Scharnhorst and Carl von Clausewitz developed the concept of task-based work. This concept influenced John Boyd (OODA Loop) and, later, Jeff Sutherland.

Systematic mechanical engineering also began in the 19th century, primarily through Franz Reuleaux's work. Reuleaux wrote books on design theory early on. He later became an influential professor of mechanical engineering. His letters from the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia in 1876 urged industry to bring high-quality products to market.

Reuleaux had a famous student: Otto Lilienthal. Lilienthal learned empirical methods from Reuleaux. Lilienthal's early death in 1896 encouraged the Wright brothers to continue their work on flying machines. Like other aircraft designers, they worked empirically and achieved success in 1903.

After World War II, Tatsuo Hasegawa, a trained aircraft engineer, brought this type of product development to Toyota. Together with Kenya Nakamura, he developed the Shusa system. 

Nonaka and Takeuchi identified this approach to product development. In their article, "The New New Product Development Game," they laid the foundations for Scrum. Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber are not the only managers who have grappled with the challenges of software development. Others gained experience as well, summarizing it in the Agile Manifesto in 2001.

What ideas have influenced the work of the Scrum Master?

The Scrum Master's work is based on two principles. In the late 19th century, Wilhelm Wundt founded the first laboratory for experimental psychology. He and his students studied movement. His psychology influenced many Americans who later played a role in the Scientific Management movement.

Toward the end of the century, larger businesses and factories emerged in several countries. People began to grapple with the question of how to organize such businesses effectively. One person who stands out in particular is Frederick Taylor. He succeeded in building an active, worldwide community whose members exchanged ideas regularly.

Channing Dooley was part of the Scientific Management community. Toward the end of World War I, Dooley organized the training of 100,000 specialists for the Army of the United States. Thirty years later, he was asked for help again. This time, the "Training Within Industry" program expanded even further. The TWI program continued in Japan after World War II. Taiichi Ohno was one of its trainers. He considered ways to improve Toyota's production processes.

Before the war, there was already an active exchange between the Japanese, Americans, and Europeans. Yoichi Ueno played a central role in this exchange in Japan. During the Meiji period, Japan began to open up. The entire country was eager to acquire knowledge and modernize.

The concept of Scrum was first presented at the OOPSLA conference in 1995. The first Scrum Guide was published in 2010.

The following timeline provides an overview of this development.

A timeline of key people and key events of Scrum