Courage is one of the five core values in Scrum, alongside Commitment, Focus, Openness, and Respect. This value is fundamental for Product Owners and all Scrum Team members to embrace for successful product development.
For Product Owners, courage manifests in several critical ways. First, it mean…Courage is one of the five core values in Scrum, alongside Commitment, Focus, Openness, and Respect. This value is fundamental for Product Owners and all Scrum Team members to embrace for successful product development.
For Product Owners, courage manifests in several critical ways. First, it means having the bravery to make tough decisions about product priorities, even when stakeholders may disagree. A Product Owner must be willing to say no to features or requests that do not align with the product vision or deliver sufficient value.
Courage also involves being transparent about the current state of the product and the Product Backlog. This includes honestly communicating when timelines may not be met, when technical debt needs addressing, or when market conditions require a significant pivot in strategy.
In the Scrum framework, courage enables teams to tackle complex problems and take calculated risks. Team members need courage to raise concerns during Sprint Retrospectives, challenge assumptions, and propose innovative solutions. The Product Owner demonstrates courage by defending the team from external pressures and unrealistic demands while maintaining focus on delivering maximum value.
Courage supports empiricism in Scrum. It takes bravery to inspect results honestly, even when they reveal failures or setbacks. Teams must have the courage to adapt their approach based on what they learn, abandoning approaches that are not working.
The courage value also means standing firm on Scrum principles when organizational pressure mounts to compromise the framework. Product Owners need courage to maintain the integrity of the Sprint, protect the team from scope changes mid-Sprint, and ensure proper refinement occurs.
Ultimately, courage creates an environment where experimentation is welcomed, failure becomes a learning opportunity, and continuous improvement thrives. When all Scrum Team members embrace courage, they build trust, foster innovation, and deliver products that truly meet customer needs.
Courage Value in Scrum
What is Courage in Scrum?
Courage is one of the five Scrum values that forms the foundation of effective Scrum implementation. It refers to the bravery Scrum Team members need to do the right thing and work on tough problems. Courage enables team members to speak up, challenge the status quo, and maintain transparency even when it is uncomfortable.
Why is Courage Important?
Courage is essential because Scrum relies on transparency, inspection, and adaptation. Teams need courage to:
• Admit when they do not know something or when they have made mistakes • Ask for help when facing challenges they cannot overcome alone • Say no to requests that would compromise the Sprint Goal or product quality • Have difficult conversations with stakeholders about realistic expectations • Challenge organizational impediments that hinder the team's effectiveness • Experiment and take risks to discover better ways of working
How Courage Works in Practice
For Product Owners, courage means: • Making tough prioritization decisions and standing by them • Saying no to stakeholders when requests do not align with the product vision • Being transparent about product risks and challenges • Trusting the Developers to determine how much work they can accomplish
For Developers, courage means: • Speaking up during Sprint Planning if commitments seem unrealistic • Raising impediments and concerns during Daily Scrum • Providing honest feedback during Sprint Retrospectives • Pushing back on pressure to sacrifice quality for speed
For Scrum Masters, courage means: • Challenging organizational dysfunction that affects the team • Having difficult conversations with management about protecting the team • Coaching team members even when feedback may be uncomfortable
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Courage Value
Tip 1: Look for scenarios where someone needs to speak truth to power or maintain transparency despite pressure. The courageous choice is usually the one that upholds Scrum principles even when inconvenient.
Tip 2: Remember that courage supports all three pillars of empiricism. When a question involves hiding information or avoiding difficult conversations, the courageous answer promotes transparency.
Tip 3: Courage often appears in questions about stakeholder pressure. If stakeholders want to add work mid-Sprint or demand unrealistic commitments, the courageous response involves honest communication about what is feasible.
Tip 4: Questions may present scenarios where team members must choose between pleasing others and doing what is right for the product. Courage means choosing product success over personal comfort.
Tip 5: Watch for questions about Sprint Retrospectives. Courage enables honest reflection and the willingness to address uncomfortable truths about team performance.
Tip 6: When questions involve quality trade-offs, remember that courage means defending the Definition of Done and refusing to compromise on quality standards.
Common Exam Scenarios
• A stakeholder demands a feature be added mid-Sprint - courage means explaining the impact and protecting the Sprint Goal • A Developer realizes they cannot complete their work - courage means raising this early rather than hiding it • The team discovers a significant technical debt issue - courage means being transparent about the implications • Management pressures the team to commit to more work - courage means providing an honest assessment of capacity