Answering: “Which Scrum Values are violated by building Product Backlog Items that have low business value?” (PSM I)

Building low-value Product Backlog items goes against Focus, Respect and Courage. Earned Value and Economic Value Added are financial metrics, not Scrum Values.

Exam Question

Which Scrum Values are violated by building Product Backlog Items that have low business value?
(choose the best three answers)
A. Focus
B. Respect
C. Courage
D. Earned Value
E. Economic Value Added

Correct Answer

A, B and C.

Why This Is the Correct Answer

The Scrum Guide lists five values: “Commitment, Focus, Openness, Respect, and Courage.” Working on low-value items breaks Focus, because the team’s attention should be on the work that makes the best progress toward its goals. It breaks Respect, because stakeholders and the organization fund the team, and spending their money on things of little value disregards them. It also suggests a lack of Courage, since someone needed to say no or challenge the ordering of the Product Backlog. The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing value, but every Scrum Team member can raise the concern. Options D and E are project accounting terms and are not part of Scrum at all.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

D. Earned Value. Earned Value is a project management cost metric. It is not one of the five Scrum Values.

E. Economic Value Added. This is a corporate finance measure. It sounds related to value but is not a Scrum Value.

Exam Tip

Memorize the five Scrum Values exactly. Many questions mix them with similar-sounding terms such as Earned Value or Transparency, and the impostors can be ruled out immediately.

Key Takeaways

• The five Scrum Values are Commitment, Focus, Openness, Respect and Courage.
• Spending effort on low-value work shows a lack of focus and respect for stakeholders.
• Saying no to low-value work takes courage.