The Waterfalls at La Paz. What a breathtaking sight. I thought it ironic that two Scrum trainers were there to visit.

It appeared that going over a waterfall would at first be fun. Yippee! we would exclaim as we felt that first weightless moment of sliding off the top in a soft velvety flow of water. Our raft would be temporarily suspended in mid-air, as if merely taunting gravity, like the big roller coasters at a theme park. And then, the drop! The gut-wrenching fall of a couple hundred feet into the swirling abyss below.

The picture makes the waterfall look like this soft, welcoming spray of water, as if you reached out to it, it would feel like cotton or a spider’s web. But being close to it revealed the power, the surge, the pulsing blast of thousand of gallons per minute being hurled over the edge, into the rocky minestrone below. We stood next to the waterfall as it fell mid-way; our faces were sparkled with a mist of stray droplets; the vortex of the waterfall only 10 feet from us. We could see the underlying wet, dripping rocks and plants that lived off of this continuous spray of life.

We thought about this and made analogies to waterfall projects. For us, they often start out smoothly enough, everyone is floating down the river, admiring the scenery. And then the ride starts to get a little bumpy; some folks notice the drop ahead but are too afraid to say anything. And then it happens: stomach in the throat, hold-on-for-dear-life, we’ve gotta bring this thing in and CRASH! the splash deafens us as we try to stay afloat amid the rocks and branches. Then we cling to our rafts, floating along the way until we’ve reached the shore, drenched, looking like wet cats, humiliated and yet relieved that the fall is over.

Why do teams and organizations subject themselves to this drama, over and over again? The crash of water - the abysmal integration period, the swirling, spattering code-test-fix vortex that sucks us down into incommunicado. The tumultuous churn that leaves us pointing fingers and wondering why?

And all the planning in the world doesn’t keep the raft from going over. We plan, float lazily along, happy with ourselves and the plan we’ve created, sure that it’s going to prevent a fall. Alas, it’s the same gravity-defying swirl and crash every single time. One cannot predict a waterfall; only hang on during its momentous cascade over the edge. We must learn to plan smarter and be prepared for the unknowns of complex systems. Best of all, we can rely on smart teams to manage this complexity!

I was happy to be a ScrumMaster visiting a waterfall; a mere observer to its power, its chaos, and for me, its serendipitous beauty.

Check out David Alfaro's up and coming Scrum blog. In the photo, left to right: Tobias Mayer, David Alfaro, Glenda, Alan Cyment, Stacia Broderick

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La Paz waterfalls in San Jose, Costa Rica are breathtaking sights of wonder. Passes to the waterfalls can be acquired at the Peace Lodge. Additionally, visitors can stop by the butterfly house, the hummingbird gardens, and see the beautiful flowers and greenery of the Costa Rican rain forest. Wear a jacket with a hood, or bring an umbrella!