Scrum isn’t about processes. It’s about people.
The sentence “the rules of Scrum guide their relationships and interactions” is the Scrum Guide making this radically clear: all of Scrum’s structure—its accountabilities, events, and artifacts—exists to support how people relate to and work with one another.
It’s not a side note. It’s the point.
I knew. I talk a lot about this during coaching and training sessions.
Only now, after countless re-reads, I notice it’s explicitly stated in the Scrum Guide.
“the rules of Scrum guide their relationships and interactions.”
From Cambridge Dictionary:
Relationship: “the way in which two or more people feel and behave towards each other” = how people feel and behave toward one another
Interaction: “a situation where two or more people communicate with each other or react to each another” = how people communicate or respond to each other
These aren’t mechanical. They’re emotional. Cognitive. Human.
Each major element of Scrum is a lever for healthier relationships and more effective interactions:
- Scrum Values (respect, openness, commitment; focus, and courage) create the environment for healthy relationships.
- Empiricism means we improve our relationships by learning from every interaction.
- Timeboxed Events force teams to talk regularly, reflect honestly, and make group decisions.
- Accountabilities prevent finger-pointing by clarifying who owns what.
- Artifacts foster transparency, So expectations are shared and surprises are reduced.
Why it matters?
Dysfunctional relationships → unproductive meetings, misaligned goals, rework, burnout.
Healthy relationships → psychological safety, clearer decisions, better outcomes
So if a team is underperforming, the first thing to look at isn’t their tooling or their board. It’s how they interact—and how they feel about those interactions.
Want to boost your team’s effectiveness? Focus on relationships and interactions.
Between the team members, between the team and the users and other stakeholders. All relationships. Each interaction.
Perfect topic for your next Retrospective...
- When did we last have a truly constructive disagreement?
- Are we speaking with each other or about each other?
- Do we feel like a team—or a group of individuals in the same meetings?
Want to improve your product? Improve your relationships.
Want to improve your throughput? Improve your interactions.
Scrum gives you structure—but you bring the humanity.
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!
