The Scrum cycle explained

In this video, Rafa Sabbagh explains the end-to-end Scrum cycle, from the Sprint Planning meeting to the Sprint Retrospective meeting.

Let me provide you with a brief explanation of the end-to-end Scrum cycle. We begin with the Product Backlog, a dynamic, ever-changing, and prioritized list that reflects what we believe needs to be developed in our product.

Driving our work is the Product Goal, which acts as a primary objective for the entire development of our product. I consider it very similiar to what is called a product vision, although some argue they are different. It is the commitment of the Product Backlog, as everything within this list aims to bring us closer to achieving that Product Goal.

As we get ready for the next Sprint, we look at the top of the Product Backlog, which should reflect the next most important part of the Product Goal.

The Sprint Planning meeting marks the start of the Sprint and involves the entire Scrum Team: the Scrum Master, the Product Owner, and the Developers. Together, they create a plan for that Sprint known as the Sprint Backlog. This plan consists of items taken from the top of the Product Backlog, which reflect the next most important part of the Product Goal, and consist a goal on itself. We refer to it as the Sprint Goal, which needs to be appropriately sized to fit within the Sprint timeframe. The Sprint Goal provides a clear direction for the work in the Sprint while allowing flexibility in execution. The Developers have the autonomy to determine how many items they can undertake from the top of the Product Backlog, usually relying on their estimation and historical data.

The Sprint Goal is WHY we are doing the Sprint, the items on the Sprint Backlog are WHAT we will be doing in that Sprint, and we could break the top items of the Sprint Backlog into smaller bits of work, the tasks, which constitute HOW we’ll do the work in that Sprint. We won’t break into tasks the entire set of items - this should be done on the go during the Sprint. This way, from the Sprint Planning meeting, we have the WHY, the WHAT, and some of the HOW.

Throughout the Sprint, the Developers collaborate as a unified team, working through the selected items in priority order. There is no differentiation between “my item,” “your item,” “his item,” “her item,” or anyone else’s. Those are their items. They progress together, according to the priority order, although they can take on more than one item at a time.

Each day, the Developers hold the Daily Scrum meeting at the same time and place, lasting no more than 15 minutes. That’s what we know as a timebox of 15 minutes. This meeting serves as a brief synchronization and planning session for the Developers. They discuss their progress, identify opportunities for collaboration, and may share any impediments that may arise. The focus is on alignment and effective teamwork. While the traditional three questions for the Daily Scrum meeting are no longer explicitly mentioned in the Scrum Guide, they can still be used as a script for teams new to Scrum:

• What did I do since the last meeting?

• What do I intend to do until tomorrow?

• What are/were the impediments?

The Developers continue to work on the selected items in priority order until the final day of the Sprint. At this point, we conduct two significant meetings: the Sprint Review and the Sprint Retrospective.

For the Sprint Review, the Scrum Team invites relevant stakeholders, clients, key users, and perhaps experts to engage with what we have created during the Sprint. The primary focus is on the Increment (or Increments), which represents the valuable portion of the product developed during the Sprint. Feedback gathered from these interactions, along with other sources such as user feedback and market changes, provides valuable insights for the Product Owner to refine and update the Product Backlog. The Sprint Review is particularly crucial when we do not deliver as often as at the end of each Sprint, as it enables us to gather external perspectives and make early adjustments if necessary.

After the Sprint Review, the external participants depart, and the Scrum Team conducts the Sprint Retrospective. This meeting embodies Agile Principle #12, emphasizing continuous improvement. The Sprint Retrospective centers on the team’s collaboration and effectiveness throughout the Sprint. It encourages self-reflection, identification of areas for improvement, and the creation of action plans, where they make sense. These action plans enable the team to implement changes and enhancements in the subsequent Sprint.

Lastly, the Increment, the outcome of the team’s work, must meet the Definition of Done - a shared understanding of what work is needed for any item that goes through a Sprint to be considered done. The Definition of Done ensures the necessary quality and adherence to the agreed-upon criteria for any item that is implemented on a Sprint so it can be part of an Increment. The Definition of Done is the commitment of the Increments.