The Scrum Values – Focus

The next topics I want to discuss are the Scrum Values, these are Commitment, Focus, Openness, Respect and Courage. Or as I remember them Focus, Respect, Openness, Courage, and Commitment. I find the values some of the hardest parts of scrum. Not because I disagree with any of the values – I find them all admirable and praiseworthy but because I find them harder to measure. Its easy to see whether a team is running Daily Scrums, its less clear whether they’re displaying courage!

In his blog post on the Scrum.org website Steve Trapps talked did a fantastic job of articulating what these values look like when a team share them. For focus he said:

1. Whilst working on a story I do not get distracted.
2. If I am not enjoying the work in a story I still give it the attention it needs.
3. When enjoying working on a story I will not over work a story just to prolong it.
4. I do not procrastinate when working on a story.
5. As soon as the story is ready to move into a new state, I will tell my colleagues and either hand it over or ensure that they know it is ready to pick up.

I think these are very valuable questions to ask yourself and your team to assess whether you are living the values which help support Scrum.

When Scrum Team Members focus on their work it helps the entire team achieve it’s Sprint Goal. This in turn moves progress towards the Product Goal and helps the Product Owner deliver real value to the customers. However, if team members are not focused, if they are distracted by endless emails or shiny opportunities then they often fail to deliver and the Scrum Team has to replan frequently.

It is everyone’s job as Scrum Team members to help reinforce focus wherever we can. To avoid distracting each other and to collaborate in a non-intrusive and distracting way. We should empower our developers to work autonomously and focus in a way which works best for them. For some people that means at home, for others that means in an office surrounded by people to collaborate with.

Keep focus in mind and always look for ways to encourage it both within yourself and within the team.