Many agree that a team that understands and adopts the Scrum values, will find it easier to overcome complex challenges to deliver high-value products. But what the FROCC are these values? And what’s with the, “what the FROCC”?
What is FROCC?
FROCC is an acronym for the five Scrum values:
- Focus
- Respect
- Openness
- Commitment
- Courage
And that’s it really. If you want to learn more about the Scrum values, read Gunther Verheyen’s blog post.
How the FROCC do I remember what it stands for?
In my old age, I’ve realised it’s impossible to remember the billions of acronyms that are casually spattered across the various presentations, websites and publications I read every day. Word mnemonics don’t work for me anymore, especially those ridiculous, seven-letter plus sequences of jibberish. What does work for me, however, are stories. A story that depicts a sequence of events featuring each word defined by the acronym makes it stick permanently in my mind. That being said, here’s the story of The FROCC.
I was filming a charity rugby match in which all the players had to wear frocks. I Focussed my camera on a scrum that had developed. All of a sudden, a gust of wind blew up the back of one of the player’s kits exposing everything! Out of Respect for the player, I quickly panned my camera away from the tackle. Immediately after the match, in the spirit of Openness, I showed the footage to the player. I gave my Commitment that I’d edit out the awkward scene. The player, however, showed great Courage and asked me to keep the candid frames to perhaps help raise more money for their chosen charity.
Now, with images like that burned into your memory, I don’t think you’ll ever forget FROCC – the five values of Scrum.