Today, I want to share the crucial role team values play in creating a cohesive, efficient, and motivated team.

My name is Elena, and I work as a Scrum Master and Agile Coach at HAUSGOLD. If you want to know more about this role click here: Allow me to introduce… the Scrum Master’s Disasters

Over the years, I’ve learned that while frameworks and principles are essential, the real magic happens when a team collaboratively defines and lives by its own set of values.

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Why Team Values Matter

In the dynamic world of agile development, team values are the cornerstone of a successful and harmonious working environment. They provide a shared sense of purpose and a common language that guides interactions, decision-making, and conflict resolution. Without a clear set of values, teams can struggle to align their efforts, leading to inefficiencies and misunderstandings.

Our team values at our development team are not just words on a wall. They represent our collective commitment to how we work together, face challenges, and celebrate successes. Here are the values we committed on:

  1. Fun & Joy
  2. Stability
  3. Structure & Processes
  4. Technical Excellence
  5. Effectiveness & Efficiency
  6. Willingness to Learn & Curiosity
  7. Team Spirit
  8. Rationality & Calmness
  9. Trust & Responsibility
  10. Ability to Criticize
  11. Quality
  12. Flexibility & Compromise

Workshop: Crafting Our Values Together

We didn’t just pluck these values from thin air. They were crafted during a collaborative workshop where every team member had a voice. This process was vital in ensuring that the values truly represented what we collectively believed in and aspired to embody. By engaging in open discussions and exercises, we explored what each value meant to us and how it could guide our day-to-day interactions and decisions. You can find the results here.

Reflecting on Our Values

Establishing values is just the beginning. To keep them alive and relevant, we reflect on them regularly during our retrospectives. This continuous reflection helps us assess how well we are living up to our values and what adjustments might be needed.



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Conclusion

In conclusion, team values are not just abstract concepts but practical tools that shape how we work and interact. They are essential for building a strong, cohesive, and effective team. By crafting these values together and reflecting on them regularly, we ensure they remain a living, breathing part of our team culture.

If you’re interested in learning more about our team development processes or have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at elena.heucke@hausgold.de. I’d love to hear from you!