Scrum Accountabilities, Artifacts, and Events in a Nutshell

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In Scrum, there are 3 accountabilities, 3 artifacts, and 5 events.

The 3 accountabilities in Scrum are:

  • Product Owner, accountable for the delivery of a valuable product.
  • Developers, accountable for building and delivering a working quality product.
  • Scrum Master, accountable for the effectiveness of the Scrum team and organization in building and delivering a valuable, quality, working product.

The 3 artifacts in Scrum are:

  • Product Backlog, an order list of Product Backlog Items that emerges from the Product Goal and includes hypotheses, requirements, features, enhancements, etc.
  • Sprint Backlog, the team’s plan to accomplish the work for the Sprint. It includes a Sprint Goal, a cohesive set of Product Backlog Items pulled from the Product Backlog that help accomplish the Sprint Goal, and a list of tasks needed to complete the Product Backlog Items and accomplish the Sprint Goal.
  • Product Increment, the output of every Sprint. It is a useful, valuable, usable, and working increment that is at a level of quality as per the team’s Definition of Done. It includes all the previously built increments in addition to what was just built in this Sprint.
  • The Product Goal, Sprint Goal, and Definition of Done are referred to as commitments in Scrum. The Scrum team commits to delivering a Product Increment that meets the Sprint Goal, is at a level of quality as per the team’s Definition of Done, and gets them one step closer to the Product Goal.

The 5 events in Scrum are:

  • The Sprint, a fixed duration with a specific start time and a specific end time. A Sprint is less than 30 days. Once a Scrum team decides on the length of the Sprint, every Sprint will be the same length from Sprint to Sprint as the team establishes a regular cadence and work rhythm. Instead of changing the size of the Sprint to fit the upcoming work, the team breaks down the work into more manageable pieces to fit within the Sprint. The Sprint is a container event for all the other Sprint events of Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective.
  • Sprint Planning, a planning event at the beginning of each Sprint to inspect the Product Backlog, the progress made toward the Product Goal based on the latest Product Increment, and adapt or create the Sprint Backlog and the team’s plan to accomplish the work for the current Sprint. This includes establishing a Sprint Goal, pulling a cohesive set of Product Backlog Items from the Product Backlog that will help accomplish the Sprint Goal, and then task out the work needed to complete each pulled Product Backlog Item.
  • Daily Scrum, a daily planning event by the Developers to inspect their work and the progress they are making toward the Sprint Goal, and then plan their day accordingly by adapting, adjusting, and updating the Sprint plan known as the Sprint Backlog.
  • Sprint Review, a collaborative working session with the stakeholders towards the end of each Sprint to determine the progress made towards the Product Goal by inspecting the Product Increment, getting feedback on it and then adapting and updating the Product Backlog accordingly, thus ensuring the Scrum team is always working on the most valuable items.
  • Sprint Retrospective, a reflection event at the end of each Sprint for the Scrum team to inspect their team dynamics, relationships, tools, and processes and then come up with a continuous improvement plan for the team and organization to adapt and become more effective.

And that’s the Scrum Framework as defined by

  • It’s 3 accountabilities of Product Owner, Developers, and Scrum Master.
  • It’s 3 artifacts: The Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, and Product Increment along with the 3 commitments of the Product Goal, Sprint Goal, and Definition of Done.
  • It’s 5 events: The Sprint, and within the Sprint, Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective.

For more details, sign up for an upcoming foundational ScrumMaster® (CSM®) class or a Certified Product Owner® (CSPO®) class or Certified Scrum Developer® (CSD®) class.

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