DA Principles, Promises, and Guidelines

Disciplined Agile (DA) is a process decision framework that provides guidance for teams and organizations to make informed choices about their way of working. As a DA Scrum Master, understanding three key elements—Principles, Promises, and Guidelines—is essential. DA PRINCIPLES form the philosophical foundation: 1. Delight Customers: Focus on delivering value that exceeds expectations 2. Be Awesome: Continuously improve and develop skills 3. Pragmatism: Choose practical approaches over theoretical ideals 4. Context Counts: Recognize that each situation is unique 5. Choice is Good: Understand available options to make informed decisions 6. Optimize Flow: Enhance work movement through the entire value stream 7. Enterprise Awareness: Consider how work impacts the broader organization 8. Be Mindful: Make conscious, deliberate choices DA PROMISES are commitments that practitioners make: 1. Apply the DA mindset 2. Fulfill your team's way of working 3. Improve continuously 4. Be context-sensitive 5. Use multiple frameworks 6. Organize around products/services 7. Apply risk/value-based approaches 8. Optimize end-to-end flow DA GUIDELINES provide practical advice: 1. Start where you are 2. Experiment & measure 3. Focus on outcomes, not outputs 4. Optimize the whole system, not just parts 5. Collaborate proactively 6. Plan for learning 7. Adapt to emerging conditions 8. Right-size practices As a DA Scrum Master, you leverage these elements to guide teams beyond basic Scrum. You help teams select appropriate practices for their context, promote continuous improvement, and coach teams in adapting their way of working based on these principles, promises, and guidelines.

Disciplined Agile (DA) is a process decision framework that provides guidance for teams and organizations to make informed choices about their way of working. As a DA Scrum Master, understanding thre…

Concepts covered: Optimize Flow, Delight Customers, Be Pragmatic, Context Counts, Build Incrementally, Be Awesome, Create Psychological Safety, Enterprise Awareness, Collaborate Proactively