From the ScrumGuide:
“…determine if its … structure helps to achieve goals…”
From Cambridge Dictionary:
Structure: “The way in which the parts of a system or object are arranged or organized, or a system arranged in this way.”
Scrum’s structure is deliberately minimal, while it’s precise in how its theory, values, accountabilities, events, and artifacts interconnect and support one another.
Scrum’s structure doesn’t begin with accountabilities. It begins with something deeper: its theory and its values. This isn’t just philosophical preamble. These are structural pillars shaping how the framework works and how people behave.
Empiricism shapes the structure, driving the need for transparency, inspection, and adaptation. This happens through the events and artifacts.
Lean Thinking ensures the teams remain lightweight and focused on value, removing anything wasteful or bloated.
The Scrum Values create the behavioral foundation the structure relies on. These values aren’t add-ons - they enable the structure to work as intended.
Even if theory and values don’t show up in your Scrum diagram, they’re part of the structure. They are described first in the Scrum Guide for a reason!
After the foundations, Scrum introduces:
- 3 accountabilities: non-overlapping, with focus—not job titles.
- 5 events: timeboxed, purposeful, each supporting inspect and adapt.
- 3 artifacts: each with a commitment bringing clarity and direction.
Together, all elements form a cohesive, interdependent system. Remove or distort one, and the structure starts to wobble. This structure reduces complexity—without sacrificing flexibility.
Some common ways teams unintentionally break Scrum’s power:
- Not applying empiricism
- Not living the Scrum Values
- Treating events as status updates
- Forgetting the artifacts' commitments
- Cherry picking
These issues undermine Scrum’s goals and reduce its ability to foster agility.
An important professional Scrum message: Scrum is not structured to control people. It’s structured to enable agility. It doesn’t prescribe how to do your work. It gives you the minimum structure needed to enable self-management, learning, and value delivery.
Time to Reflect:
- Are you using all parts of Scrum as intended—including its theory and values?
- Are accountabilities respected, or just titles without mandate?
- Are your events driving decisions?
- Are artifacts creating transparency, or just gathering digital dust?
When you tweak or skip parts of the structure - does it truly help, or just hide deeper issues?
Respect the system—and it will serve you well.
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!
