Empiricism

Plain English explanation

Empiricism means learning from what actually happens. Instead of trusting guesses, the team looks at real results and uses them to decide what to do next.

What it means

Scrum is built on empirical process control. This means the team learns through transparency, inspection, and adaptation.

Why it matters

Complex work cannot be fully predicted upfront. Empiricism helps teams reduce uncertainty by learning from evidence.

How it works

The team makes work visible, inspects progress and outcomes, then adapts plans based on what they discover. This creates a cycle of learning by doing.

Common misunderstanding

Empiricism is not random experimentation. It is disciplined learning from observable reality.

Key points

• Knowledge comes from experience
• Decisions are based on observation
• Scrum uses transparency, inspection, and adaptation
• Empiricism reduces guessing