Visibility, Transparency, Clarity, and Certainty
Visibility, Transparency, Clarity, and Certainty
For thousands of years, humans have been observing stars. There are hundreds, if not thousands of visible stars to the naked eye. From these stars, they create different shapes. It is evident in the Zodiac signs as well as constellations. Geocentric was the popular belief at the time. It meant that the earth was believed to be the center of all things and that everything revolves around it. Despite the fact that most celestial objects in the geocentric model could be seen, we now know how inaccurate it was.
Nicolaus Copernicus, a famous mathematician, challenged the geocentric model in 1543 just before his death. This changed how we view the Universe. The Copernicus model provides us with a common understanding of stars, planets and natural satellites such as moons. This understanding led Galileo to discover four moons of Jupiter 1610. These moons, also known as the Galilean Moon, were the first celestial objects that orbited other than the sun and earth.
Scientists believed that the Milky Way was the only galaxy until 1920. American astronomer Edwin Hubble’s observation led to more discoveries of galaxies and satellite galaxies. They also discovered superclusters. This information provides us with information about our position in the Universe. We know more about where we are in the Universe. However, there is still much disagreement and lack of common understanding between different theories.
New Horizon, a NASA space probe that visited Pluto in 2015, took pictures of Proxima Centauri, Wolf 359, to determine their distances using the parallax observation technique. This geometry-based method measures the distance between two objects. This method of calculating distance is accurate and reliable. It also works because everyone understands how it works.
These examples show us how to distinguish between closely related concepts of transparency, visibility, clarity, certainty and transparency. The first example shows that humans can see the start of the universe with their eyes. However, because there is no shared understanding between the stars, planets and natural satellites, it’s not visible to them. According to Merriam Webster dictionary, “transparent” can also mean “readily understood”. While all celestial objects in the geocentric model could be seen, not all of them were visible. However, it was difficult to explain some of their movements from the model. Copernicus’s Heliocentric Model not only explains this, but also expands our knowledge. This is transparency at its best. The next example of transparency is when scientists discover other galaxies, and our place provides us with not only the information, but also the context. This last example is a case of evidence-based certainty.
John Maeda talks about the differences between transparency and clarity, and how crucial clarity is to leadership. John says transparency is about having access to the facts. Clarity is about understanding them. Margaret Ruvoldt summarizes this by saying, “Transparency is to make visible, knowledge, and information available; clarity is to give context, understanding, and precision.” Karen Martin talks about clarity and certainty]. Clearness is possible, but certainty is not always possible. Clearness is not always possible. One can provide context and direction, but conceal the information. This is another example where clarity is not achieved. A doctor may give clear instructions to a patient’s family, but not disclose the information to comply with the law.
Let’s look at them in the Scrum context. Teams often use an information radiator to show the current status of the PBI for the Sprint. This is usually a Board. They may not be visible enough to provide sufficient information. The information might not be current or complete. Information is not automatically transparent if it is made visible.
According to the Scrum Guide, transparency requires that those aspects be defined by a common standard in order for observers to have a common understanding of what’s happening soon. The definition of done provides transparency for the “Increment”. Although the increment is visible to everyone, it’s important to know what the definition of done means so that it can be included in the Increment. While it is possible to be transparent by giving the information, that doesn’t necessarily mean transparency. Stephanie Ockerman says transparency is the Scrum Master‘s most important tool. She uses the metaphor “flashlight”. It guides the development team in determining how many Product Backlog items they can select from during Spring Planning.
It is not enough to simply provide the facts as they are in the Product Backlog item. A shared understanding is necessary to fully grasp the whole picture. Connect that Sprint Goal with the Vision of the Product, connect it with the Sprint Goal, and give context and clarity. The work is understood by development teams. They also understand “why” they do it, “where” it fits into the bigger picture and “how it contributes to the product vision. Gunther Verheyen said, “Product vision is what explains why the product’s being built.” Product vision validates the product’s success.
Scrum can be used to solve complex problems. In a complex domain, uncertainty is the only certainty. When things are precise and predictable, there is no need for inspecting and adapting. Without inspecting and adapting, it becomes a mini waterfall.
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