The following are true about Scrum:
* Scrum is based on empiricism and lean thinking. Empiricism is the principle of making decisions based on what is observed and experienced, rather than on theory or speculation. Lean thinking is the philosophy of eliminating waste and maximizing value in any process or system. Scrum applies these concepts by providing a framework for inspecting and adapting the product and the process, and by focusing on delivering the most valuable features to the customers and stakeholders.
* Scrum is a framework for developing and sustaining complex products. A complex product is one that has unpredictable or unknown aspects that require creativity, experimentation, and adaptation to deliver.
A framework is a set of minimal and essential rules and roles that provide structure and guidance, but leave room for flexibility and innovation. Scrum provides such a framework for teams to collaborate and deliver complex products iteratively and incrementally, while embracing change and feedback.
* Each component of Scrum serves a specific purpose and is essential to Scrum's success and your usage of Scrum to develop complex products. Scrum consists of three roles (Product Owner, Scrum Master, Developers), five events (Sprint, Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective), and three artifacts (Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, Increment). Each of these components has a clear definition, accountability, and goal that contributes to the overall effectiveness and value of Scrum.
Removing or changing any of these components may cause the benefits of Scrum to be lost or diminished.
References:
* Scrum Guide 2020, page 3: "Scrum is founded on empiricism and lean thinking."
* Scrum Guide 2020, page 3: "Scrum is a lightweight framework that helps people, teams and organizations generate value through adaptive solutions for complex problems."
* Scrum Guide 2020, page 4: "Each component within the framework serves a specific purpose and is essential to Scrum's success and usage."