Scrum Artifacts Flashcards
What are the characteristics, value and purpose of the Product Backlog?
The Product Backlog is a dynamic & prioritized list of all the work that needs to be done on the project. It contains user stories, features, bug fixes, technical tasks, and any other items that contribute to the product’s development. The Product Owner is responsible for maintaining the Product Backlog and ensuring that it is well-organized and up-to-date. The items at the top of the backlog are typically more detailed and closer to being implemented, while items further down may be less detailed and subject to change.
- Dynamic & Prioritized
- User Stories & Items
- Detailed and Emergent
- Owned by the PO
- Single Source of Truth
- Estimation
- Refinement
- Sprint Planning Input
- Transparency
- Alignment with the Product Vision
- Evolution and Adaptation
- Communication Tool
- Devs can make changes to the Product Backlog - but only with PO permission.
What are the characteristics, value and purpose of the Sprint Backlog?
The Sprint Backlog is a critical artifact in the Scrum framework. It is a subset of the Product Backlog and contains the work items that the Development Team has committed to completing during a specific Sprint. The Sprint Backlog is created during the Sprint Planning meeting, and it serves as the team’s plan for the upcoming Sprint. Here are some key aspects of the Sprint Backlog:
Scope - These are the items that the team believes they can complete during the Sprint.
Commitment - When the Development Team selects items for the Sprint Backlog, they are making a commitment to completing these items by the end of the Sprint. This commitment helps the team stay focused and accountable for delivering the selected work.
Dynamic: The Sprint Backlog is not fixed; it can evolve as the Sprint progresses. If new insights emerge or if the team encounters unexpected challenges, they can adapt the Sprint Backlog with the approval of the Product Owner.
Ownership:The Sprint Backlog is owned by the Development Team. The team decides how to organize and complete the work items, and they self-organize to ensure that they can meet their Sprint goal.
Visibility:The Sprint Backlog is a highly visible artifact that is often displayed in a physical or digital format so that all team members can see the progress and status of the Sprint work.
Daily Scrum: During the Daily Scrum (Daily Stand-up) meetings, team members discuss the Sprint Backlog to update each other on progress, share insights, and identify any impediments that need to be addressed.
Sprint Goal Alignment:The Sprint Backlog is aligned with the Sprint Goal, which represents the overarching objective that the team is working toward during the Sprint. All work in the Sprint Backlog should contribute to achieving this goal.
Estimates:The items in the Sprint Backlog often have associated estimates (e.g., story points or time estimates) to help the team gauge how much work they can take on in a Sprint.
Refinement:Before the Sprint Planning meeting, the Product Owner and Development Team collaborate to refine and clarify the items in the Product Backlog that are candidates for the upcoming Sprint. This ensures that the selected work items are well-understood and “ready” for the Sprint Planning meeting.
Completion and Review: By the end of the Sprint, the goal is for all the items in the Sprint Backlog to be completed, resulting in a potentially shippable product increment. The team presents the completed work during the Sprint Review meeting.
Retrospective Insights: Insights from the Sprint Backlog and the team’s performance during the Sprint are often discussed during the Sprint Retrospective to identify areas for improvement in future Sprints.
What are the characteristics, value and purpose of the Increment?
The Increment is the sum of all the completed and “Done” Product Backlog items at the end of a Sprint. It is a potentially shippable product or increment of the product that has been thoroughly tested and meets the Definition of Done (DoD) established by the team.
The Increment should be in a usable and releasable state, although it doesn’t necessarily need to be released to users immediately. With each Sprint, the Increment grows as new features and improvements are added.
- Total functionality of all the PBIs delivered and accepted in a Sprint
- All the work in the current Sprint plus all the work completed in all previous Sprints.
- Creation is owned by the Scrum Team.
- Tangible Outcome
- Potentially Shippable
What is the Definition of Done?
The “Definition of Done” (DoD) is a critical concept in Scrum and other Agile frameworks. It’s a set of criteria or conditions that a Product Backlog item or user story must meet to be considered complete and potentially shippable. The DoD helps ensure that the work delivered by the Development Team is of high quality, meets the team’s standards, and is ready for release. The specific criteria in the DoD may vary from one Scrum Team to another or from one organization to another, but it typically includes the following aspects:
Functionality: The user story or item should fulfill all the functional requirements and specifications outlined in its acceptance criteria. It should perform its intended purpose and meet the user’s needs.
Quality Assurance: The work should be thoroughly tested, and all identified defects and bugs should be fixed. The code should be of high quality and adhere to coding standards.
Integration: The new functionality should be seamlessly integrated into the existing product or system without causing issues or conflicts with other components.
Documentation: Any necessary documentation, such as user manuals, help guides, or technical documentation, should be updated to reflect the changes introduced by the item.
Code Review: The code should undergo code reviews to ensure it meets the team’s coding standards, is well-structured, and is maintainable.
Performance: The new functionality should meet specified performance requirements and not degrade the overall system’s performance.
Security: Security standards and best practices should be followed, and any potential security vulnerabilities should be addressed.
Usability: The user interface and user experience (UI/UX) should be user-friendly, intuitive, and in line with the product’s design standards.
Regulatory Compliance: If applicable, the work should adhere to industry-specific regulations and compliance requirements.
Demo-Ready: The item should be in a state where it can be demonstrated to stakeholders, Product Owners, or end-users to gather feedback and validation.
No Outstanding Work: There should be no outstanding or incomplete work related to the item. All tasks, sub-tasks, and dependencies should be resolved.
Acceptance: The Product Owner or relevant stakeholders should review and accept the work as meeting their expectations and requirements.
The Definition of Done is crucial for maintaining transparency, ensuring that work is consistently completed to a high standard, and helping the Scrum Team and stakeholders have a shared understanding of what “done” means. It serves as a quality assurance tool and a guideline for when a Product Backlog item can be considered finished and ready for release or inclusion in a Sprint Increment.
Scrum uses various artifacts to facilitate communication, transparency, and the successful delivery of software products. The primary Scrum artifacts are:
- Product Backlog
- Sprint Backlog
- Increment
- Definition of Done (DoD)
These Scrum artifacts help ensure that everyone involved in the project, including the Scrum Team, stakeholders, and customers, have a clear understanding of the work being done, its priority, and the progress being made. They promote transparency, collaboration, and alignment among team members and stakeholders, which are essential principles in Scrum.
Provide an Overview of the Scrum Artifacts
Scrum uses various artifacts to facilitate communication, transparency, and the successful delivery of software products. The primary Scrum artifacts are:
- Product Backlog
- Sprint Backlog
- Increment
- Definition of Done (DoD)
These Scrum artifacts help ensure that everyone involved in the project, including the Scrum Team, stakeholders, and customers, have a clear understanding of the work being done, its priority, and the progress being made. They promote transparency, collaboration, and alignment among team members and stakeholders, which are essential principles in Scrum.
