Concepts
Scrum development framework values flexibility, efficiency, and customer satisfaction. It relies on several artifacts to ensure clear communication among the team and effective project management. The Scrum artifacts constitute an integral part of Scrum implementation and they help foster transparency and create opportunities for inspection and incorporation of changes. The three major Scrum Artifacts are the Product Backlog, the Sprint Backlog, and the Increment. Let’s delve into defining these artifacts and their attributes.
Product Backlog
The Product Backlog is an ordered list of everything that might be needed in the product and is the only source of requirements for any changes to be made to the product. It comprises of descriptions of all possible features, functionalities, technologies, bug fixes and enhancement requests related to the product.
- Dynamic: The Product Backlog is constantly changing as more is learned about the product, its customers, and the market. It evolves over the lifespan of the product, becoming more refined as time goes on.
- Prioritized: Each item in the Product Backlog holds a priority which is assigned and adjusted by the Product Owner. The features of highest value to the customer are placed on top ensuring they are worked upon first.
- Estimable: Each backlog item also includes an estimate of the amount of work needed to complete it. This helps the team and Product Owner understand the resources required for the implementation.
Sprint Backlog
The Sprint Backlog is a set of items from the Product Backlog that the Team commits to complete within a Sprint, a time-box of one month or less. It provides a subset of the Product Backlog selected for the Sprint, plus a plan for delivering it.
- Selected Items: Items are selected from the Product Backlog based on their priority and the team’s capacity.
- Flexible: As the Sprint progresses, if more work is required to meet the Sprint Goal, the Team adds it to the Sprint Backlog.
- Real-time picture: The Sprint Backlog is a highly visible, real-time picture of the work the Team plans to accomplish during the Sprint, and it belongs solely to the Team.
Increment
The Increment is the sum of all the Product Backlog items completed during the Sprint and the value of the increments of all previous Sprints. It provides a potentially shippable product functionality after each Sprint.
- Potentially Releasable: The Increment must be in a usable condition regardless of whether the Product Owner decides to release it.
- Adds Value: Each Increment adds to preceding Increments to provide more value to the customer, incrementally enhancing the overall product.
- Meets Definition of Done: It must be “Done”, which means that it has to meet the team’s Definition of Done.
Each Scrum artifact serves a unique purpose. The Product Backlog aligns the team with the product vision and the work required, the Sprint Backlog focuses on ensuring the completion of work within the Sprint, and the Increment ensures the regular delivery of value to the customer. Understanding these artifacts and their attributes, is crucial to effective Scrum implementation and success in the Scrum Foundations Exam.
Answer the Questions in Comment Section
True or False: The purpose of the Product Backlog in Scrum is to serve as a collection of all items that might be needed in the project, ordered by priority.
True
Which of the following best describes the purpose of the Sprint Backlog in Scrum?
- A. To capture all the work completed during a sprint.
- B. To list all product features needed for the project.
- C. To provide a comprehensive list of items for the upcoming development cycle.
- D. To capture the outcomes and feedback from a concluded Sprint.
C. To provide a comprehensive list of items for the upcoming development cycle.
True or False: The Sprint Backlog is a dynamic artifact, meaning it adjusts and evolves throughout the duration of the sprint.
True
Which of the following attributes belongs to the Product Backlog?
- A. Contains only the tasks that the Team will commit to finish within the Sprint.
- B. Contains detailed descriptions of all Product Backlog items in the order needed.
- C. Contains the Scrum Team’s improvement plans created during the Retrospective.
- D. Contains the functionality that is implemented, tested, integrated, and reviewed.
B. Contains detailed descriptions of all Product Backlog items in the order needed.
In Scrum, what is the purpose of the Increment?
- A. To organize the Product Backlog items into Sprints.
- B. To document the list of tasks identified by the Scrum Team to be worked on during the next sprint.
- C. To provide a measurable summary of the progress made during a sprint.
- D. To indicate the direction of product development.
C. To provide a measurable summary of the progress made during a sprint.
True or False: The Increment is the sum of all the Product Backlog items completed during a Sprint and all previous Sprints.
True
Select the attributes that apply to the Sprint Backlog. (Multiple Select)
- A. Detailed and flexible.
- B. Devised during Sprint Planning.
- C. Contains a list of all Product Backlog items.
- D. Is a forecast by the Developers about what can be done in the next Sprint.
A. Detailed and flexible.
B. Devised during Sprint Planning.
D. Is a forecast by the Developers about what can be done in the next Sprint.
Which of these attributes belongs to the Increment?
- A. A list of all that needs to be done to achieve the product goal.
- B. Ensures a useful version of product is always available.
- C. Contains a plan to get the work done.
- D. It is devised by the entire Scrum Team.
B. Ensures a useful version of product is always available.
True or False: The Product Backlog is a static document that does not change once it has been created.
False
What is the main purpose of the Product Backlog?
- A. Track the progress of the project.
- B. Detail the tasks for the current sprint.
- C. Provide a list of things that need to tested.
- D. Document and rank all items to be possibly included in the product.
D. Document and rank all items to be possibly included in the product.
True or False: The Sprint Backlog is a set of Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint, along with a plan for delivering them.
True
Who usually updates the Sprint Backlog?
- A. Developers.
- B. Product Owner.
- C. Scrum master.
- D. Stakeholders.
A. Developers.
Great explanation on SCRUM frameworks! The Product Backlog should serve as a prioritized list of everything that might be needed in the product. Three key attributes are: ordered by priority, dynamically updated, and visible to all stakeholders.
The Sprint Backlog, in my understanding, should include all items selected for the Sprint, plus a plan for delivering them. Attributes: clearly defined tasks, owned by the team, and adjusted as needed during the Sprint.
Thanks for the post! Really helpful for my study.
The Increment should represent all the completed Product Backlog items during a Sprint. Key attributes include: potentially shippable, cumulative, and meets the Definition of Done.
What would be an optimal size for the Product Backlog?
Nice summary! Very useful.
Can someone explain how the Sprint Backlog and Product Backlog differ in terms of updates?
This blog post was a waste of time.