Watch Out for the Dynamic between Scrum Values
There are two drivers at play that make Scrum work: one is empiricism — the other: the Scrum values. While empiricism is widely discussed, Values rarely get a mention.
Talking about values is generally not easy, but unavoidable as they serve as guidelines for the Scrum Team as to how its members should collaborate and interact daily. Scrum values bring a team to life and help members improve their interactions — so let’s see what they are and how they work.
Commitment
Commitment means team members are dedicated to stand by each other and devoted to the goals of the Team: the Product Goal, the Definition of Done instilling quality in the Increment and to the Sprint Goal.
It needs to be noted, however, that this Value doesn't imply that the team is committed to deliver certain PBIs in the Sprint Backlog. Also, commitment cannot be abused in a way that it contradicts with the sustainability principle of the Manifesto (“Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.”) — commitment has boundaries. Of course, teams commit to doing their best to achieve these goals through their actions, but not to a pre-defined way to get there.
Focus
Focus means that team members have one thing in the centre of their attention — the most important thing to work on, the Sprint Goal. It also means, that team members focus on achieving the intended outcomes of our Scrum events — which is assisted by the application of timeboxes. Scrum Masters can help the team retain focus by causing the removal of impediments and by warding off distractions.
Focus is in strong alignment with several principles of the Agile Manifesto, namely the first principle on the highest priority of delivering value and the principle of simplicity.
Openness
This Value can be linked back directly to the first pillar of empiricism: transparency. In Scrum, it means being open about the reality of the work: open to take in what happened as it happened.
Of course, openness refers to relationships in the team as well. Teams thrive in an environment where openness happens in a “bidirectional” manner — where members are not only open to give but to receive. They are open not only to speak up, but to listen as well.When you are open and honest about work, you might step on some toes and openness wouldn't work unless exercised with the next Value.
Respect
Team members respect one another as people and professionals. They act in good faith with one another, they believe that their peers are open to them and believe that they are capable professionals doing the best they can. Team members respect the different ideas that are shared by people from different backgrounds. They understand that diversity brings strength to a team.
They also respect the challenges work throws at them, they also respect the fact that they are in a complex space in which the requests and requirements of stakeholders change frequently.
Courage
Courage doesn’t mean the absence of fear. Courage means doing the right thing regardless of fear. Courage complements Scrum values in a way that it unlocks potential for a team.
Courage shows when we admit we don’t know or if we admit failures or challenges. It also takes courage not to bend under pressure and insist on writing code properly rather than writing code fast.
The decisions that are made, the steps taken, and the way Scrum is used should reinforce these values, not diminish or undermine them. — Scrum Guide 2020
Whenever I look at relationships between people and how they work with Scrum, I have found that sometimes there are certain dynamics at play between the Values. When thinking about them, I have the following considerations:
In this specific situation, which Values support one another? At Sprint Planning, for example, it is easy to see how Commitment and Focus might work hand in hand.
In other cases, it might seem that the Values diminish one another. For example, a team might over-expose courage when they repeatedly commit to a larger scope of work that they can usually deliver, and focus might be lacking. A good strategy might be to call a third (or fourth) Value to help with this issue: for example, openness will help expose this problem and commitment will help reset balance.
And finally, there might be cases when one Value is absent or is seriously lacking. For example, what might help you if you lack openness? You might rely on courage and commitment to work in the absence of this Value.
Living the Scrum values through practising behaviours and actions driven by them help good teams become awesome teams. The values not only make Scrum successful but also help members build trust between each other which is so crucial for collaboration when developing a complex product in a complex environment.