Scrum gives responsibility for defining and achieving project success to the customer. Does that sound odd?
The AD team delivers at some velocity - points per iteration - which nobody can really change much. Scope / velocity = time is a pretty simple bit of math. Once the customer truly accepts that he can't have the impossible - more features in less time - he must adjust scope and date to satisfy his business needs. Those are absolutely business decisions. Why would he want to give up that responsibility?
Scope creep affects the date? Who's problem is that? Why would AD care? If AD wants to be successful and look good, define success as reliable velocity and quality no matter what they are asked to do. The customer will learn to manage scope creep when it hurts his success, not AD.
That's a pretty challenging point of view. I can't imagine many folks at my company buying into it.
[ October 30, 2007: Message edited by: Stan James ]