5 Agile Values incl. Retrospective Template

You just searched Google for “5 Agile Values” and want to know what the five agile principles are and how you can integrate them into your agile everyday life? 

Great, then you’ve landed in the right place.

With the Scrum method and agile working, a unique as well as effective way of working has been created. The team members are the focus of attention. To be able to check whether the team is on the right path. 

The 5 Scrum values support an environment that creates exactly that - success!

The 5 Scrum Values I am talking about are “Focus, Openness, Courage, Commitment and Respect”. Why the 5 Scrum Values are so important is easy to explain…

Scrum Value: Openness

• Scrum and Agile mean teamwork. There is hardly a more important aspect of teamwork than openness. This can be interpreted in two directions. First of all, it is incredibly important to be open about one’s own work steps and failures/successes. Only in this way can a clear analysis of the status quo happen and potential for improvement be revealed. However, it is equally important to be open to improvement. Only when openness works in both directions and you don’t feel threatened by your team in any way you can grow together.

Scrum Value: Courage

• Courage as one of the 5 Agile Values goes in a similar direction as openness. Because only if there is the courage to address issues and try out new things the interaction in a team can function in the long term. Personally, I like to say courage to openness and openness to courage. It is incredibly important to see “courage” as a gift rather than an obstacle, even if topics are sometimes addressed that make you rather uncomfortable.

Scrum Value: Respect

• The first two Agile Values only work, of course, if the necessary respect prevails in the team. Respect means consideration in every respect. In the team, you have to take into account the strengths and weaknesses, the quirks and edges of each individual. This is the only way to avoid getting in each other’s way as a team, but to create what you would never be able to create alone. If the collaboration in your team often feels bumpy, it may well be due to the lack of necessary respect.

Scrum Value: Focus

• Focus or clarity is the basis for effective work. Everyone knows the feeling of being overwhelmed by too many tasks and not being able to see a clear path to the goal. This is exactly what a clear focus is supposed to do. Even though teamwork is a central part of agile working, this value of the 5 Agile Values is the one that can make even the “solo work phases” an absolute success or even a bumpy road.

Scrum Value: Commitment

• What’s the point of all the values if you don’t stand behind them? What’s the point of all the good plans and tasks if you don’t take them seriously? - Nothing! And that’s exactly why it’s so important that the individual members of the team are committed. Commitment is something that you can’t demand, but something that arises when the needs of each individual are met. Most of the time, a lack of commitment is a sign that one of the aforementioned values is not on a solid footing. You have no focus, you don’t feel respected in the team, or problems aren’t even addressed because there’s a lack of openness or courage? - Of course you’re not committed then!

Health Check Retro: The 5 Agile Values

I think it’s clear what the 5 agile values are and why the 5 agile values are important. It’s also easy to see that the 5 Agile Values are part of the team’s health. - But how can you regularly check whether the 5 Agile Values are still in harmony? - We asked ourselves exactly this question and developed our own retrospective template based on it:

Note: This retrospective format asks for agreement with the given Health Check items on a scale.

• Courage: We value people showing courage.

• Respect: We value each other’s ideas, even when disagreeing.

• Commitment: Every team member is committed to follow through on what they have promised.

• Focus: We don’t allow ourselves to be distracted from reaching the sprint goal.

• Openness: We are open to constructive feedback and grow from it.

As you can see from the graphic, the “Health Check Retro: The 5 Agile Values” is a somewhat unconventional retrospective. Here, the individual questions are not answered by self-formulated answers, but by a scale (Bad - Very Good). Based on the mood in the team, you can then focus on and reflect on the corresponding values of the 5 Agile Values.

 

If you want to see more Retrospective Templates this article is surely interesting for you: 22 Refreshing Agile Retrospective Templates in 2023