> the person running the Scrum process needs to know how shit really works. This is rarely the case.

I agree, while a very simple process, people who don't get it tend to complicate it. They focus on the process instead of the result.

Most failed scrum teams I've seen out there skip the retrospective meeting, which is in my opinion, the key of the whole thing: that's the meeting where team members usually realize they "own" the process and can steer it any way they desire.