The 5 Scrum values and how to implement them

Implementing the Scrum framework without embracing the Scrum values is like dropping your team in the jungle without a compass.

If you want any chance of success in Scrum, you need the core values at the heart of everything you do.

In this article, you’ll learn about the Scrum values and how they dovetail with the pillars and principles of Scrum. We’ll explain how to overcome five common challenges when integrating them into the Scrum framework. And finally, we’ll show you how to embrace the Scrum values with monday dev.

What are the 5 Scrum values?

As part of the overarching Agile framework, the five Scrum values are commitment, courage, focus, openness, and respect. These values are the internal qualities that help guide the behavior and interactions of team members within the Scrum framework and provide a foundation for working together at a sustainable pace and meeting project goals.

Let’s go through them in detail:

1. Commitment

Team members commit to achieving the team’s goals and supporting each other by:

• Dedicating themselves to delivering value
• Maintaining quality throughout the project
• Working toward the Scrum sprint and product goals
• Using empiricism to guide their work

Team members commit to only taking on tasks they believe they can complete, being careful not to overcommit as this will affect the rest of your team and its stakeholders.

2. Courage

When taking ownership of a project, independent people have the courage to do the right thing and tackle tough problems by:

• Asking hard questions of each other when discussing the product backlog or the sprint goal
• Speaking up when the project is off track
• Admitting when help is needed
• Trying new approaches
• Making difficult decisions
• Facing challenges head-on

Courage allows teams to experiment, adapt, and continuously improve instead of performing work like “it’s always been done”.

3. Focus

The Scrum team focuses intently on the work of the sprint and its goals by:

• Concentrating on creating value
• Prioritizing what’s currently most important
• Aiming to get work to “Done”

Team members take action, avoid distractions and only work on tasks directly related to achieving the sprint goal.

4. Openness

In Scrum, openness isn’t only about sharing everything with your team about your own progress during the Scrum meetings. It’s also about being open with your stakeholders, including customers, throughout the whole process.

Team members and stakeholders agree to be open about all work and challenges. This means:

• Being transparent about progress and impediments
• Sharing feedback openly
• Learning from each other
• Discussing struggles faced honestly

Openness creates an environment of trust and transparency.

5. Respect

Scrum team members respect each other as skilled, capable individuals by:

• Respecting different expertise and perspectives
• Being respectful when disagreeing
• Valuing diversity on the team

Respect fosters collaboration and a positive team dynamic.

Unsurprisingly, these Scrum values share some common ground with the principles and values from the Agile Manifesto. Learning both will help you understand the greater context of the Agile methodology and Scrum framework.

Why are the Scrum values important?

The Scrum values provide a foundation for effective teamwork, collaboration, and success across complex projects. They help Agile teams become more resilient, flexible, and adaptable to change within the Scrum framework. For instance:

• Commitment fosters accountability and collective responsibility, drives productivity, and helps maintain focus on delivering value.
• Without courage, teams may avoid difficult conversations or resist necessary changes, hindering progress and improvement.
• By focusing on sprint goals, teams can deliver high-quality results more effectively.
• Openness helps prevent misunderstandings and fosters a collaborative environment.
• Respect leads to better collaboration and outcomes.

What are the 3 pillars of Scrum?

The three pillars of Scrum are transparency, inspection, and adaptation. These pillars were the original foundation of the Scrum framework before the Scrum values were added in 2016.

The pillars are inspired by the “empirical process control” theory. It states that knowledge comes from experience and making decisions based on what you already know.

Basically, it’s all about an incremental approach to learning by trying and testing, rather than researching and planning. That’s why Scrum employs an iterative process, creating a product one small piece at a time, always factoring in new information at every stage.

1. Transparency

Transparency ensures that all aspects of the Scrum process are visible and understood by the entire Scrum team involved in the project. Team members should clearly understand the Sprint goal, current status, and long-term vision of the project. This includes:

• Making the work progress, challenges, and decision-making processes visible to all team members and stakeholders.
• Openly sharing information about the project status, goals, and impediments.
• Using a common language and definitions that everyone understands.
• Maintaining clear and accessible project artifacts like the product backlog and sprint backlog.

2. Inspection

Inspection involves continually assessing a project’s progress. This includes regularly examining the Scrum artifacts and processes to detect any deviations or issues early. Key aspects include:

• Frequently reviewing the product increment and development process.
• Conducting sprint reviews to assess the work completed.
• Holding daily stand-up meetings to inspect progress toward sprint goals.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of Scrum practices and team performance.

3. Adaptation

Adaptation is about adjusting plans, processes, and products based on inspection results before, during, and after each sprint. This means:

• Making changes quickly when inspection reveals the need for improvement.
• Modifying the product backlog to reflect changing requirements or priorities.
• Adjustment of team processes and practices to increase efficiency and effectiveness.
• Embracing change and continuous improvement throughout the project lifecycle.

These three pillars support Scrum’s empirical approach to product development, enabling teams to respond to change, continuously improve, and deliver high-quality products that meet stakeholder needs.

How to integrate Scrum values into the Scrum framework

Knowing the Scrum values is fine, but to be affective, your entire team needs to adopt and use them. Here’s how to integrate the values into the Scrum framework’s events, artifacts, and roles.

Incorporate values into Scrum events

Sprint planning:

• Encourage commitment by having the entire team actively participate in sprint goal-setting
• Promote focus by prioritizing sprint backlog items
• Foster openness through transparent discussions about capacity and challenges

Daily Scrum:

• Reinforce commitment by sharing progress toward sprint goals
• Maintain focus on the day’s priorities
• Practice courage by openly discussing impediments

Sprint review:

• Demonstrate openness by sharing work and gathering feedback
• Show respect for stakeholders’ input
• Exhibit courage in presenting potentially incomplete work

Sprint retrospective:

• Encourage openness in discussing team dynamics and processes
• Practice respect when giving and receiving feedback
• Demonstrate courage by addressing difficult issues

Embed values in the Scrum artifacts

Product backlog:

• Reflect commitment through explicit, well-defined user stories
• Show focus by maintaining a prioritized backlog
• Promote openness by making the backlog accessible to all stakeholders

Sprint backlog:

• Demonstrate commitment to sprint goals through detailed task breakdowns
• Maintain focus on sprint objectives
• Foster openness by making sprint progress visible to the team

Increment:

• Reflect commitment to quality through adherence to the Definition of Done
• Show focus on delivering valuable features
• Demonstrate openness by sharing the increment with stakeholders

Reinforce values in the Scrum roles

Scrum master:

• Model and coach the team on living the Scrum values
• Facilitate discussions on how to apply values in daily work to reach common objectives
• Address behaviors that contradict Scrum values

Product owner:

• Demonstrate commitment to the product vision
• Maintain focus on maximizing value
• Practice openness in product backlog management and stakeholder communication

Developers:

• Show commitment to sprint goals and quality standards
• Maintain focus on completing sprint backlog items
• Practice courage in suggesting improvements and addressing technical debt

Additional integration strategies

• Conduct regular workshops on Scrum values and their practical application
• Include value-based discussions in team-building activities
• Recognize and celebrate behaviors that exemplify Scrum values
• Use visual reminders like posters or digital dashboards to keep values top-of-mind
• Incorporate value-based metrics in team performance evaluations

By consciously integrating these values into every aspect of the Scrum framework, teams can create a strong foundation for successful agile development and continuous improvement.

8 benefits of using the Scrum values

The Scrum values provide several important benefits when integrated into a team’s practices:

1. Improved collaboration and teamwork: Respect and openness foster better communication and trust among team members, while commitment and focus help align the team around shared goals.
2. Increased productivity and efficiency: Focus helps teams prioritize work and avoid distractions, and commitment drives teams to deliver on their sprint goals.
3. Enhanced problem-solving and innovation: Courage empowers team members to speak up about issues and propose new ideas, while openness allows for honest discussions about challenges and potential solutions.
4. Greater adaptability: Openness to feedback and new information enables teams to inspect and adapt more effectively, and courage helps teams embrace change when needed.
5. Stronger stakeholder relationships: Openness and respect improve transparency and communication with stakeholders, and commitment builds trust by consistently delivering value.
6. Improved quality of work: Focus on sprint goals and commitment to quality standards lead to better outcomes, and openness allows for early identification and resolution of issues.
7. Enhanced team morale and engagement: Respect for team members’ skills and contributions boosts motivation, while courage to take on challenges provides opportunities for growth.
8. Better risk management: Openness about potential issues allows for early risk identification, and courage to address problems head-on helps mitigate risks proactively.

By embracing these values, Scrum teams can create a positive, high-performing environment that leads to more successful project outcomes and continuous improvement.

Scrum values vs. Scrum principles

Scrum values and principles are essential components of the Scrum framework, but they serve different purposes.

The five Scrum values — Commitment, Courage, Focus, Openness, and Respect — guide the behavior and interactions of team members by:

• Shaping team culture and mindset
• Influencing how individuals work together
• Promoting effective collaboration and communication
• Creating a positive and productive work environment

The six Scrum principles — Empirical process control, Self-organization, Time-boxing, Value-based prioritization, Iterative development, and Collaboration — help project managers apply the Scrum framework by:

• Providing guidelines for implementing Scrum practices
• Defining how work should be managed and executed
• Supporting the framework’s empirical approach to product development
• Offering a structural foundation for Scrum processes

Hence, you can see the key differences in four areas:

While distinct, Scrum values and principles combine to support successful project delivery and team performance within the Scrum framework.

5 common challenges (and solutions) with Scrum values

Here are five common challenges teams face when trying to implement Scrum values, along with some potential solutions:

Challenge #1: Lack of commitment

Team members struggle to fully commit to sprint goals or team decisions.

Solutions:

• Involve the whole team in sprint planning to increase buy-in
• Set realistic and achievable sprint goals
• Celebrate small wins to build momentum
• Discuss the importance of commitment in sprint retrospectives

Challenge #2: Fear inhibiting courage

Team members are afraid to speak up about issues or take risks.

Solutions:

• Create an environment of psychological safety, where the team treats mistakes as learning opportunities
• Lead by example — demonstrate courage as a Scrum Master or Product Owner
• Encourage and praise instances of courage
• Use techniques like anonymous feedback to surface issues

Challenge #3: Losing focus

The team gets distracted by non-sprint work or loses sight of sprint goals.

Solutions:

• Use visual management tools to keep sprint goals visible
• Conduct daily stand-ups to realign focus
• Minimize external interruptions during sprints
• Break down work into smaller, focused tasks

Challenge #4: Lack of openness

Team members hoard information and hesitate to share challenges.

Solutions:

• Foster a culture of transparency through regular sharing sessions
• Use information radiators to make work visible
• Encourage pair programming or mob programming
• Address fears behind lack of openness in one-on-ones

Challenge #5: Disrespect among team members

Lack of mutual respect leads to poor collaboration and communication in the team.

Solutions:

• Establish and reinforce team working agreements
• Address disrespectful behavior immediately
• Conduct team-building exercises to build empathy
• Recognize and celebrate diverse contributions to the team

By actively addressing these challenges, teams can more effectively embody the Scrum values, leading to improved collaboration, productivity, and overall project success.

How to apply the Scrum values in product management

Here are some ways to apply the Scrum values in product management:

1. Commitment

• Set clear sprint goals and commit to delivering them as a team
• Follow through on promises made to stakeholders and customers
• Dedicate time and effort to achieving the product vision and roadmap

2. Courage

• Make tough prioritization decisions based on customer value
• Be willing to pivot product direction when needed
• Address difficult issues or conflicts within the team openly

3. Focus

• Prioritize the product backlog rigorously to focus on the highest-value items
• Minimize context switching and stay focused on sprint goals
• Keep the team aligned on product vision and strategy

4. Openness

• Share product plans and progress transparently with stakeholders
• Be open to feedback and new ideas from customers and team members
• Communicate challenges and risks openly

5. Respect

• Value diverse perspectives from team members and stakeholders
• Respect customer needs and feedback when making product decisions
• Show respect for team capacity when planning sprints

Additionally, teams can:

• Use the values as criteria when making product decisions
• Discuss how to embody the values in sprint retrospectives
• Recognize team members who exemplify the values
• Include the values in product team charters/working agreements
• Evaluate how well the team lives the values during product reviews

By consciously applying these values, product managers can create an environment of trust, collaboration, and continuous improvement — leading to better products and happier customers.

Embrace the Scrum values with monday dev

Built on monday.com Work OS, monday dev equips agile product and development teams with everything they need to embrace the Scrum values. Here’s how:

Commitment:

• Use sprint planning boards to clearly define and commit to sprint goals
• Set up automations to notify team members of approaching deadlines
• Track velocity and burndown charts to monitor commitment to sprint goals

Courage:

• Create a “Risks and Impediments” board where team members can openly log challenges
• Use the Comments feature to encourage open discussion of issues and ideas
• Set up anonymous feedback forms to allow team members to raise concerns

Focus:

• Use the Timeline view to visualize sprint goals and keep the team focused
• Create custom dashboards showing only current sprint tasks
• Set up automations to minimize distractions from non-sprint work

Openness:

• Use the Activity Log to maintain transparency on all changes and updates
• Create shared dashboards to keep stakeholders informed of progress
• Utilize the @mention feature to encourage open communication

Respect:

• Create a “Kudos” board where team members can recognize each other’s contributions
• Set up team member profiles to highlight individual skills and expertise
• Use the Workload view to ensure fair task distribution

General tips:

• Create a dedicated “Scrum Values” board to track how well the team is living the values
• Use the Check-in feature for daily stand-ups to reinforce the values
• Set up recurring retrospective boards to reflect on value adherence

By leveraging these features, teams can create an environment that reinforces and embodies the Scrum values throughout their development process.