Scrum Values
Scrum Values are tested as behavioral commitments that make empiricism work, not as a slogan. The five values are commitment, focus, openness, respect, and courage. They shape how the Scrum Team behaves in events, artifacts, and stakeholder interactions.
Core rules
- Commitment means dedicating to Sprint and Product Goals, not promising fixed scope.
- Focus means selecting a limited set of work and finishing it before starting more.
- Openness means making work and impediments visible, including bad news.
- Respect means treating teammates and stakeholders as capable professionals.
- Courage means raising difficult facts and changing direction when evidence demands it. Values are not a scoring checklist; they are lived behaviors that build trust.
Worked example
At a Sprint Review, a Developer says the Increment is not usable because testing was skipped. Another teammate wants to hide the issue to protect the team. A Scrum Master should reinforce openness and courage: surface the gap, inspect the Definition of Done, and adapt the Sprint Backlog. Reasoning: hiding the defect creates false transparency and defeats inspection.
Traps
Posting values on a wall without changing behavior; using commitment to enforce overtime; treating respect as avoiding disagreement; confusing courage with unilateral decisions; rewarding only good news.