As a framework, Scrum allows businesses to produce high-quality products in a short amount of time by delegating specific projects to small, cross-functional teams. These Scrum Teams operate through Scrum Events that break down the process of production into short phases called Sprints. What exactly are Sprints and what’s involved?

 

What are Sprints?

The Sprint is a short project period of no more than one month. The actual duration of the Sprint will be determined by the scope of the product and the requirements specified by the Certified Product Owner. Each Sprint allows for the completion of an individual project that is clearly defined and outlined before the Development Team starts working. Each Sprint is different and completes a separate project, but they all follow the same four steps.

 

Sprint Planning

Each Sprint begins with in-depth planning for the upcoming project. This planning process is limited to an eight hour period and should not exceed that time. The Certified Product Owner communicates the goal for the project with the Scrum Team and ensures that they understand precisely what is expected from the project and which items from the Product Backlog should be completed if development is on schedule. The Development Team selects the Product Backlog items they believe can reasonably be completed during the Sprint to reach the Team’s goal.

 

Daily Scrum

Every workday, the Development Team meets for 15 minutes to discuss what needs to be completed that day and addresses any challenges from the previous day. This is an opportunity to develop a plan to address any errors or complications that came up in the course of development. This minimizes the risk of continuing development and allowing the continuance of an error that could affect the quality of the end-product. These regular meetings ensure that the Team is on the same page and reduce the need for additional meetings throughout the day.

 

Sprint Review

At the end of every Sprint, the Team holds a Sprint Review that allows them to adapt upcoming projects based on the challenges they faced during the Sprint. This event is limited to four hours and may be shorter, depending on the duration of the Sprint itself. During the Sprint Review, the Certified Product Owner lets the Team know what products have been completed and which ones still need to be developed. The Development Team then discusses what challenges they faced and how they were addressed during the Sprint so the Product Owner better understands how the development is proceeding.

 

Sprint Retrospective

The Sprint Retrospective is an internal review of the Scrum Team rather than the product. It gives the team a chance to see what they could do to improve their work methods for the next Sprint. Each person is given the opportunity to discuss challenges they faced and any processes or tools they may need to improve to make work easier during the next Sprint. This allows the Scrum Team to continually improve their internal methods. Sprints are vital to an effective Scrum framework. They’re what gives the Scrum Team a structure that focuses on completing high-quality work in a short period of time.

 

Agile Strategic Solutions offers training and certifications for Certified Product Owners, Certified ScrumMasters, and Certified Scrum Professionals. Contact us today to register for our next training session.