Overview
Scrum Values is the fourth SMPC learning-objective area. The 2020 Scrum Guide says successful use of Scrum depends on people becoming more proficient in living five values: commitment, focus, openness, respect and courage. The Scrum Team commits to achieving its goals and to supporting each other. Its primary focus is the work of the Sprint, to make the best possible progress toward those goals. The team and its stakeholders are open about the work and the challenges. Members respect each other as capable, independent people, and they have the courage to do the right thing and work on tough problems.
The Guide connects values to empiricism: when the values are embodied by the Scrum Team and the people they work with, the pillars of transparency, inspection and adaptation come to life and build trust. The values also guide the team's work, actions and behaviour.
How it's tested
Most items in this area are behavioural. A short scenario shows a team member, Product Owner or Scrum Master acting in a certain way, and you identify the value shown or missing. Some questions ask how the values relate to the pillars or why the Guide lists them at all.
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Which value is shown
A behaviour such as admitting a mistake at the Daily Scrum is described, and you select the matching value.
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Which value is missing
A team avoids conflict, overcommits or hides work, and you name the value it is not living.
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Values and trust
You explain how living the values supports transparency, inspection and adaptation and builds trust.
A Developer realises a Sprint Goal is at risk but says nothing at the Daily Scrum because she does not want to disappoint the Product Owner. Which value is she failing to live? Commitment looks attractive because the goal is in danger. The deeper issue is that she is not being open about the work and its challenges, and openness is what enables the team to inspect and adapt. Courage is also involved, but openness is the closest match.
Topics 5
Official topics from the CertiProf outline, in outline order.
4.1 CommitmentCommitting to the team's goals and to supporting each other.
- What it means
- Commitment means the Scrum Team commits to achieving its goals and to supporting each other. In the 2020 Guide each artifact also carries a commitment: the Product Goal, the Sprint Goal and the Definition of Done.
- What to understand
- Commitment is about dedication to goals and to teammates, not a promise to deliver every item in the Sprint Backlog regardless of what the team learns. A team that adjusts scope to protect the Sprint Goal is showing commitment. Overcommitting to please stakeholders, or treating a forecast as a contract, works against it because it damages quality and trust.
- How it shows up
- Scenarios contrast commitment to a goal with rigid delivery of a fixed list of items.
- Common confusion
- Treating the Sprint Backlog as a promise of exact scope rather than a forecast toward the Sprint Goal.
4.2 FocusConcentrating on the work of the Sprint.
- What it means
- Focus means the Scrum Team's primary focus is on the work of the Sprint, so it can make the best possible progress toward its goals.
- What to understand
- The Sprint Goal and timeboxes support focus by limiting distractions and multitasking. A Scrum Master protects focus by shielding the team from unplanned requests and by helping the Product Owner route new work through the Product Backlog. Focus does not mean ignoring stakeholders; it means directing effort toward the most valuable outcome for the current Sprint.
- How it shows up
- Expect situations where interruptions, frequent context switching or side projects reduce progress on the Sprint Goal.
- Common confusion
- Thinking focus means refusing all new information during a Sprint, even when it affects the Sprint Goal.
4.3 OpennessBeing open about the work and its challenges.
- What it means
- Openness means the Scrum Team and its stakeholders are open about the work and the challenges they face.
- What to understand
- Openness is the human side of transparency. It includes sharing progress honestly, raising impediments early, admitting mistakes and being willing to hear feedback at the Sprint Review and Retrospective. Openness applies to stakeholders as well as the team; withholding information from either side reduces the quality of inspection and adaptation.
- How it shows up
- Questions often show hidden problems or reluctance to share bad news and ask which value is involved.
- Common confusion
- Mixing openness with courage; openness is about sharing the work and its challenges, courage about acting rightly despite risk.
4.4 RespectTreating teammates as capable, independent people.
- What it means
- Respect means Scrum Team members respect each other to be capable, independent people, and are respected as such by the people with whom they work.
- What to understand
- Respect supports self-management: a team that is trusted to decide how to do its work is shown respect. It also covers respecting different skills and opinions, the Product Owner's decisions on ordering the Product Backlog and stakeholders' perspectives. Micromanagement, public blame and overriding the team's choices on how to build the Increment all signal a lack of respect.
- How it shows up
- Scenarios involve managers assigning tasks, blame after a failure or dismissal of a colleague's input.
- Common confusion
- Seeing respect as politeness only, rather than trust in people's capability and independence.
4.5 CourageDoing the right thing and working on tough problems.
- What it means
- Courage means Scrum Team members have the courage to do the right thing and to work on tough problems.
- What to understand
- Courage shows when a Developer refuses to call unfinished work Done, when a Product Owner says no to a low-value request, or when a Scrum Master raises an organizational impediment with senior leaders. It also means taking on uncertain or difficult work rather than only safe tasks. Courage works together with respect, so challenging others should still treat them as capable people.
- How it shows up
- Look for scenarios involving pressure to compromise quality, avoid conflict or hide uncomfortable facts.
- Common confusion
- Choosing commitment when the scenario is about standing up to pressure, which signals courage.
High-yield concepts
The terms, rules and formulas this domain turns into questions most often.
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Five Scrum values
Commitment, focus, openness, respect and courage.
- Remember
- Five, not four or six.
- Tested as
- Direct recall items.
- Trap
- Adding transparency or trust as a value.
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Values build trust
Living the values brings the pillars to life and builds trust.
- Remember
- This link is stated in the Guide.
- Tested as
- Why-values questions.
- Trap
- Treating values as optional culture extras.
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Commitment to goals
Dedication to goals and to supporting each other.
- Remember
- Goals, not fixed task lists.
- Tested as
- Overcommitment scenarios.
- Trap
- Equating it with delivering all forecast items.
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Focus on the Sprint
Primary attention on the Sprint's work.
- Remember
- The Sprint Goal anchors focus.
- Tested as
- Interruption scenarios.
- Trap
- Thinking focus forbids any change.
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Openness about challenges
Honest sharing of work and difficulties.
- Remember
- Applies to stakeholders too.
- Tested as
- Hidden-problem scenarios.
- Trap
- Labelling it transparency, which is a pillar.
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Respect as capability
Seeing others as capable, independent people.
- Remember
- Supports self-management.
- Tested as
- Micromanagement scenarios.
- Trap
- Reducing it to courtesy.
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Courage to do right
Acting rightly and tackling tough problems.
- Remember
- Includes saying no and raising impediments.
- Tested as
- Quality-pressure scenarios.
- Trap
- Confusing it with commitment.
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Values guide behaviour
The values direct the team's work, actions and behaviour.
- Remember
- Decisions and steps should reinforce them.
- Tested as
- Judgement items in later areas.
- Trap
- Treating values as slogans on a wall.
Side by side
Concepts candidates mix up, compared on the point that decides the answer.
Values that are often confused
| Concept | Meaning | Key difference | Common trap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Openness | Sharing the work and challenges honestly | About information and feedback | Calling it transparency, a pillar |
| Courage | Doing the right thing under pressure | About action despite risk | Mislabelling it as commitment |
| Commitment | Dedication to goals and each other | About goals, not fixed scope | Treating it as a delivery promise |
| Respect | Trusting others as capable people | About autonomy and dignity | Seeing it as politeness only |
Values vs. pillars
| Concept | Meaning | Key difference | Common trap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scrum values | Five behaviours people live | Human foundation for trust | Listing transparency among them |
| Scrum pillars | Transparency, inspection, adaptation | Empirical process control | Listing courage among them |
Exam traps
Each trap is an answer that looks right. Learn the clue that should change your mind.
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Transparency as a value
- What candidates pick
- Transparency in a list of Scrum values.
- Why it looks right
- It is central to Scrum.
- Why it's wrong
- Transparency is an empirical pillar; the values are commitment, focus, openness, respect and courage.
Clue to watch for Questions asking for values, not pillars.
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Commitment means all items
- What candidates pick
- Working overtime to finish every forecast item.
- Why it looks right
- Sounds like dedication.
- Why it's wrong
- Commitment is to goals and to each other; the Sprint Backlog is a forecast that can change.
Clue to watch for A Sprint Goal still achievable with less scope.
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Silence as respect
- What candidates pick
- Not raising a concern to avoid offending a colleague.
- Why it looks right
- Seems considerate.
- Why it's wrong
- Avoiding honest feedback undermines openness and courage; respect allows direct, constructive challenge.
Clue to watch for A known problem left unspoken.
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Focus means no change
- What candidates pick
- Refusing any new information mid-Sprint.
- Why it looks right
- Protects the team from interruptions.
- Why it's wrong
- Focus is on the Sprint Goal; relevant learning can still change how the team reaches it.
Clue to watch for New information directly affecting the goal.
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Values for the team only
- What candidates pick
- Assuming stakeholders are outside the values.
- Why it looks right
- The Guide talks about the Scrum Team.
- Why it's wrong
- The Guide expects openness from stakeholders too and says values must be embodied by the team and the people they work with.
Clue to watch for Stakeholder behaviour in the scenario.
Answer framework
Follow these steps when a question asks which Scrum value a behaviour shows or lacks.
- Identify what the person in the scenario is doing or avoiding, such as sharing information, acting under pressure or trusting others with decisions.
- If the behaviour concerns honest sharing of work, progress or problems, choose openness ahead of the other four values.
- If it concerns doing the right thing despite pressure, discomfort or risk, choose courage, even when goals are also involved.
- If it concerns trusting colleagues to decide how to work, choose respect; if it concerns dedication to goals and teammates, choose commitment.
- If it concerns attention to the Sprint's work despite interruptions, choose focus, and reject any option that names a pillar instead of a value.
Practice question
Want more like this? The SMPC practice test has questions for every domain.
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Study strategy
This is a small area, so aim for depth rather than breadth. Read the Scrum Values section of the 2020 Scrum Guide, which is only one paragraph, and copy each value with its one-line description onto a card. Then add the sentence linking the values to the pillars and to trust.
Next, write two short scenarios per value: one where a person lives it and one where they fail to. Include the Scrum Master, Product Owner, Developers and stakeholders across your examples, because SMPC questions vary the role. Pay most attention to the pairs that are easy to confuse: openness and courage, commitment and focus, respect and politeness.
When you study the later areas on events, the Scrum Team and the Scrum Master role, keep asking which value each rule supports. For example, the Definition of Done needs courage to enforce, and the Daily Scrum needs openness to be useful. That cross-linking turns a memorized list into judgement you can apply under time pressure.
FAQ
How many SMPC questions are about Scrum Values?
CertiProf publishes no weight for Scrum Values or the other eight SMPC areas. It is a compact area; plan for roughly three direct questions, with values also shaping answers in other areas.
What are the five Scrum values?
Commitment, focus, openness, respect and courage, as listed in the 2020 Scrum Guide.
Is transparency a Scrum value?
No. Transparency is one of the three pillars of empiricism. Openness is the related value.
Why does the Scrum Guide include values?
Because the Guide says Scrum's success depends on people living them. When the values are embodied, the pillars come to life and trust grows.
Does commitment mean finishing every item in the Sprint Backlog?
No. Commitment is to the team's goals and to supporting each other. Scope can be renegotiated with the Product Owner while protecting the Sprint Goal.
Do the values apply to stakeholders?
Yes. The Guide expects the Scrum Team and the people it works with to embody the values, and it mentions stakeholders being open about the work.
Other Agile & Scrum certifications
Where the same subject shows up in other exams. Cards marked "Same subject" open the matching domain.
Test your Domain 4 knowledge
Try a few SMPC behavioural questions to check you can tell openness, courage, respect, focus and commitment apart under time pressure.