What foundational concept does Scrum rely on for decision-making and knowledge acquisition?

Scrum is fundamentally built on the concept of empiricism, which is the practice of making decisions based on what is known. It emphasizes the importance of observation and experimentation in the development process. In Scrum, empiricism is reflected in the process of iterating through sprints, where teams build functional increments of their product, inspect the results, and adapt their approach based on the feedback received.

The empirical approach allows teams to learn and adapt in response to changing conditions and new information. This continuous cycle of observation, reflection, and improvement ensures that decisions are made based on current realities rather than assumptions. This is crucial in complex environments where unpredictable factors are at play.

In contrast, rationalism, deduction, and intuition do not align with the Scrum framework's focus on adapting to real-world results and ongoing learning. Rationalism is based on reason and logical deduction, which can sometimes lead to rigid conclusions that don’t reflect the complexity of development work. Deduction involves deriving conclusions from established premises, which may not be suitable in a dynamic context where conditions and variables frequently change. Intuition relies on instinct and gut feelings, which are not as reliable as empirical evidence when navigating the uncertainties common in software development.