Scrum Values: Commitment, Focus, Openness, Respect, Courage
Part of the Scrum Guide chapter index. Read the canonical version inline in the app: Scrum Values on app.prettyscrum.org.
Why this chapter matters for the PSM I exam
The five Scrum Values are easy to memorize and easy to confuse with the three pillars of empiricism. Learn them in the Guide’s order: Commitment, Focus, Openness, Respect, Courage. The exam will sometimes give you a fifth option that sounds plausible (e.g. “Transparency” or “Trust”) — reject it.
The Scrum Guide text
Successful use of Scrum depends on people becoming more proficient in living five values:
- Commitment
- Focus
- Openness
- Respect
- Courage
The Scrum Team commits to achieving its goals and to supporting each other. Their primary focus is on the work of the Sprint to make the best possible progress toward these goals. The Scrum Team and its stakeholders are open about the work and the challenges. Scrum Team members respect each other to be capable, independent people, and are respected as such by the people with whom they work. The Scrum Team members have the courage to do the right thing, to work on tough problems.
These values give direction to the Scrum Team with regard to their work, actions, and behavior. The decisions that are made, the steps taken, and the way Scrum is used should reinforce these values, not diminish or undermine them. The Scrum Team members learn and explore the values as they work with the Scrum events and artifacts. When these values are embodied by the Scrum Team and the people they work with, the empirical Scrum pillars of transparency, inspection, and adaptation come to life building trust.
Source: 2020 Scrum Guide by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland, © CC BY-SA 4.0. License.
Key points to remember
- The five values, in order: Commitment, Focus, Openness, Respect, Courage.
- Values are behavioral. Pillars are process-oriented. Don’t mix them up.
- Living the values builds trust, which is the bedrock of empiricism.
Common exam trap
A common trap: an answer like “Commitment, Focus, Openness, Respect, Transparency.” Transparency is a pillar, not a value. The fifth value is Courage.
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Author: Maurice Heinze (PSM I, certified by Scrum.org). Last updated: 2026-05-04. Scrum Guide content licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.