In understanding project management methodologies, the Scrum Guide plays a pivotal role. It clearly states that the protagonist’s responsibility is to maximise the value from the work of the Scrum team. However, this leads us to an interesting question – what exactly is value?
The relativity of value
To me, the concept of value is very similar to beauty. Like beauty, value is in the eye of the beholder. What I appreciate might not be what you appreciate, and vice versa. This makes it imperative for us to understand our target audience. It’s about figuring out the answer to the questions: “For whom are we doing this?” and “Who are we helping?”
The way I like to think about it is by asking whose life are we aiming to improve with what we do?
Once you adopt this mindset, you can start to look at things from their perspective. What do they appreciate? With this understanding, you can then begin to shape your work in ways that create something of real value to them.
The challenge of identifying value
But why is identifying value so difficult for people? I believe it’s because there are diverse levels of value to consider.
Let’s consider functional value, for example, something as simple as a pencil. It writes. It fulfils a job for me. It solves a problem because I can put my ideas on a piece of paper. But in today’s world, this kind of value is often seen as a commodity – it’s expected, and we’re not willing to pay too much for it.
Beyond functional value
The real value, I argue, is found when we go deeper. We must delve into understanding what goes on in people’s heads. What concerns them? What worries them? How can we help them navigate through life, be it professional or personal?
Organisations that can empathise with their end users have a higher potential. And if they manage to translate that understanding into their products, they truly unlock the secret to maximising value.
About Effective Agile
Ralph Jocham is a Change Agent in Scrum // Agile // Coaching // Evidence Based Management and also a Professional Scrum Trainer based in Europe.
As one of the first Professional Scrum Trainers in the world, Ralph has worked directly with cocreator of #scrum, Ken Schwaber, and has played an integral part in the course development of the #PSPO (Professional Scrum Product Owner) as well as the delivery of all #scrum.org certified courses.
If you’re looking to invest in training that transforms and empowers teams to successfully adopt #scrum or #agile, and create high-performance #productdevelopment environments leveraging the agile values and principles, visit https://effectiveagile.com/agile-scrum-trainings/
If you would like to work with Ralph and company as an #agilecoach, #agileconsultant, or powerful change agent to get your team back on track and on the road to high-performance #agile #productdevelopment, visit https://effectiveagile.com/agile-transformation/
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