If you came here to learn more about the rugby term “scrum”, we might disappoint you, but if you’re looking to learn more about the popular Agile framework, you’re in the right place! Scrum is designed to empower teams and organizations to bring greater value to their customers through adaptive solutions to complex problems. Since its inception in the ‘90s, Scrum has evolved into one of the most widely adopted Agile frameworks worldwide.  

The five core values of Scrum are commitment, courage, focus, openness, and respect. These values are the driving force behind successful teams, keeping them collaborative, aligned, and prepared.

In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at each of the five values of Scrum and share some free templates to boost efficiency and collaboration on your Agile teams.

Scrum value #1: Commitment

The first of the five core Scrum values is commitment. On Scrum teams, commitment means taking ownership of tasks, producing high-quality work, and staying focused on the team’s shared objectives. It also involves revisiting the project often to ensure alignment, address any obstacles, and adapt where necessary. 

The sprint retrospective is a great place to gather feedback at the end of each sprint and discuss accomplishments and concerns. Open our free sprint retrospective template to use with your team!

Being committed to a Scrum team means actively participating in sprint planning to ensure that tasks support the goal and are assigned to the proper team members. It also involves ensuring that the team is not overloaded and that task estimations are realistic. When faced with challenges, committed team members collaborate with others promptly to resolve conflict and continue moving towards the sprint goal.

Scrum value #2: Courage

Courage, by definition, is the mental strength to persevere in spite of difficulty or danger. For Agile teams, courage means stepping outside of your comfort zone, sharing ideas, and asking tough but necessary questions. It’s about empowering other team members to challenge the project, provide insight, and speak out when necessary. 

For example, say that during a marketing kickoff meeting, the project owner presents an idea for a new campaign. It sounds exciting and genuinely fun to work on. While everyone appears enthusiastic, you aren’t entirely sure if the concept aligns with the overarching goal. As a remote employee, you often find it hard to speak out when you’re looking at a room full of people calling in from the office, but you speak up and ask if the team could revisit the project goal for a moment to make sure it’s well aligned. This sparks a deeper discussion revealing that the group felt similarly to you, so the team realigns the campaign to better meet the objective. 

Gauge how your team truly feels about project priorities with a visual activity in Lucid. Quickly capture feedback on your team in a secure, unbiased way. 

Scrum value #3: Focus

Focus might seem like a given for any project, but it is one of the Scrum team values for a reason. In Agile, focus isn’t just a goal–it’s a foundational principle that drives success. By minimizing distractions, Scrum teams can dedicate their time to the most valuable tasks. Without focus, the Scrum teams risk falling into the trap of multitasking, working overtime, and being misaligned, leading to unnecessary challenges.

A focused team has clear priorities and collaborates often. For example, during a sprint, Scrum teams have daily standup to identify blockers, review progress, and ask any outstanding questions that prevent them from completing their tasks.

Promote focus, share progress, and address concerns with our free daily standup template.

Scrum value #4: Openness

Open and honest communication is integral to any Agile team. On a Scrum team, openness fosters trust, collaboration, and continuous improvement. It means being realistic about workloads, asking clarifying questions, and giving constructive feedback. 

Openness also requires a mindset of curiosity and adaptability. Scrum teams thrive when they embrace diverse perspectives and new ways of working. This flexibility drives innovation, helping teams uncover creative solutions to complex problems—ultimately delivering more value to customers.

Imagine a Scrum team during their retrospective, openly discussing what went well during the sprint and what could have been improved. One team member speaks up and shares that they feel that they were too siloed from the rest of the team, making it challenging to find the context needed to perform their job effectively. They propose two solutions: incorporating an icebreaker during one of their daily standups each week to foster stronger connections and creating a virtual team space to house important team documentation readily available for all team members. 

Scrum value #5: Respect 

Last but certainly not least, respect is essential for a Scrum team to succeed. It means recognizing that each team member brings unique value and insights to the table. Respect builds trust and stronger team relationships.

There are many ways to show respect, but some practical examples include practicing active listening in meetings, acknowledging others’ ideas, and consulting your teammates when making big, project-related decisions. Small acts of respect can have a significant impact on your team's morale and overall collaboration.

The five core Scrum values of commitment, courage, focus, openness, and respect are the foundation for high-performing teams. By embracing these values, you create a team culture of collaboration, trust, and connection.