Cambridge Dictionary defines “to guide” as:
“To show someone how to do something difficult.”
Scrum is acknowledging something many frameworks avoid:
Relationships and interactions are difficult.
As the Scrum Guide puts it:
“The rules of Scrum guide their relationships and interactions.”
Let’s be clear:
Guidance ≠ control.
Guidance is directional—not dictatorial.
Scrum chooses to guide how people relate and interact—without prescribing it.
It doesn’t tell you:
- how long a planning session should last
- how exactly to talk to stakeholders
- how Developers resolve their conflicts
Instead, it provides just enough structure—accountabilities, events, artifacts, values—so people can figure it out together.
Because the truly hard stuff isn’t managing Jira tickets or calculating velocity. (Let’s be honest—both are often just busywork anyway.)
The truly difficult stuff is:
- Navigating disagreement
- Balancing autonomy and accountability
- Making collective decisions amid uncertainty
- Working with people who don’t always agree
That’s what Scrum is built to support—not by controlling people, but by guiding their collaboration.
How Scrum Actually Guides
Some examples:
- Timeboxes guide us to limit scope, sharpen focus, and avoid perfectionism
- Accountabilities guide us to clarify ownership and reduce blame games
- Events guide us to inspect and adapt—together, in rhythm
- Artifacts + commitments guide us to align expectations and make intent visible
- The Scrum Values guide our behavior so that trust and learning can grow
All of these create guidance—not instructions—for working together effectively.
So what’s that difficult “something” Scrum is showing us how to do?
“The rules of Scrum guide their relationships and interactions.”
Relations and interactions. That’s where we’re headed next.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
I hope you find value in these short articles and if you are looking for more clarifications, feel free to make contact.
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Wishing you an inspiring read and a wonderful journey.
Scrum on!
