TL; DR: When Should a Team Stop Using Scrum?

When is the time to look beyond Scrum? After all, many things—ideas, practices, mantras, etc.—outlive their utility sooner or later; why would Scrum be an exception? Moreover, we are not getting paid to practice Scrum but solve our customers’ problems within the given constraints while contributing to the sustainability of our organization. Scrum is a tool, a helpful practice but neither a religion nor a philosophy. Which brings us back to the original question: Is there a moment when a Scrum team should stop using Scrum?

Setting the Context of Using Scrum To Your Benefit

When I ask whether there is a moment when a Scrum team should stop using Scrum, I am not referring to a situation in which using Scrum is useless, to begin with. For example, if you look at the Stacey Matrix below, you will notice areas colored in red—Simple and Chaotic: