Scrum Theory and Values
Scrum rests on empiricism and lean thinking, and is held together by five values. This chapter explains why Scrum is a lightweight, purposely incomplete framework for complex work and how its values enable the empirical pillars to function.
Empiricism and its three pillars
Empiricism holds that knowledge comes from experience and that decisions are made on what is observed. Its three pillars are transparency (a shared, visible reality), inspection (frequent checking of artifacts and progress) and adaptation (adjusting as soon as deviation is detected).
A lightweight framework for complex work
Scrum is deliberately incomplete, defining only what is needed to embody its theory. It is built for complex, adaptive problems where more is unknown than known, and teams add complementary practices around it to fit their situation.
The five Scrum values
Commitment, focus, openness, respect and courage guide the team's behaviour and decisions. When embodied, they build the trust that makes transparency, inspection and adaptation real rather than nominal.