Sprint Planning
In the first step of Sprint Planning, the Team asks questions of the Product Owner to clarify what is to be built.
FACT
The information in a Sprint Backlog Item may lack the detail necessary for it to be done. Details need to be surfaced. Conversations are the most effective means for surfacing the details, rather than communication through artifacts such as specification documents.
It's fine for the Daily Standup to last up to 45 minutes.
MYTH
The Daily Standup is time-boxed to 15 minutes. It always happens at the same time and on a daily basis. The Scrum Master is responsible to keep this ceremony in its allotted time-box.
The Delivery Team could demonstrate a Story even if they didn't finish it during the Sprint.
FACT
If there are incomplete Sprint Backlog Items, reveal them at the start of this event. Not hiding bad news builds trust with stakeholders. It is still helpful to demo these and get feedback, even if incomplete.
Anyone who wants to attend should be able to show up.
MYTH
The Sprint Retrospective is strictly for members of the Team, although the Team can invite outsiders to participate if they find it helpful. The Sprint Retrospective is the private part of a Sprint where a Team engages in potentially difficult conversations about how they can improve.
Only product backlog items reviewed during this event are eligible to become items in the Sprint Backlog.
MYTH
Any product backlog items proposed by the PO during Sprint Planning are eligible to go into the Sprint. Ideally the Team would have seen the item during backlog refinement.
Although estimating the size of Backlog Items is acceptable during Sprint Planning, it’s highly beneficial to estimate them before the ceremony.
FACT
A Backlog Refinement event is recommended every Sprint. Furthermore, we recommend scheduling this ceremony mid-Sprint so details can be clarified before the next Sprint Planning session. Estimating future stories can help the Team forecast their work.
People from outside the Team may attend, provided it's okay with the Team and they don't interfere.
FACT
This meeting is for the Delivery Team, but it can be helpful for others to attend. Visitors are observers. They do not take part in answering the 3 questions, but may participate in sidebars after the Daily Standup.
The Product Owner accepts a Story based on the conversations and acceptance criteria that was previously discussed with the Team, not by some criteria the Team hasn't heard before.
FACT
The Delivery Team is responsible for building the functionality described in conversations with the Product Owner or their representatives. Undiscussed functionality is added to the Product Backlog for future development.
The purpose of the Sprint Retrospective is to tell people what they did wrong during the last Sprint.
MYTH
The purpose of the Sprint Retrospective is to produce actionable items the Delivery Team will use during the next Sprint to improve its process. The focus should be on improvement moving forward, not blame looking backward.
The Delivery Team should be able to estimate the product backlog items during this ceremony.
FACT
The delivery Team should have enough understanding of the backlog items to provide an estimate (often the user story and acceptance criteria is enough to estimate).
The Product Owner assigns development Stories to the Delivery Team.
MYTH
The Delivery Team makes the decision on how many Product Backlog Items will be done during a Sprint and how they will be done.
The Daily Standup is one of the 3 important Inspect and Adapt loops in Scrum.
FACT
The Daily Standup, Sprint Demo, and Sprint Retrospective are all points at which Teams review progress and adjust as needed.
Stakeholders are welcome at the review as long as they don't interfere. Their feedback can be helpful for shaping the product moving forward.
FACT
Feedback from stakeholders is important to a product's health, and the Team (especially the Product Owner and Scrum Master) should actively encourage them to attend. The feedback triggered through a demonstration may cause the Product Owner to change the Product Backlog.
Your Scrum Master should use the same facilitation technique for every Sprint Retrospective so participants learn what to expect.
MYTH
No. To prevent boredom and thus a loss of creativity, vary the exercises used.
Participants in this ceremony may benefit from a Definition of Ready.
FACT
The Definition of Ready is a checklist, based on past experience, about what it takes to make a Story “consumable” by the Delivery Team. Referring to the Definition of Done may also benefit the Team when estimating.
Sprint Planning helps the Team to break Sprint Backlog Items into delivery Stories.
FACT
The Delivery Team may break down the Sprint Backlog Items into Stories at any time during the Sprint. Thinking about Stories during the Sprint Planning ceremony allows the team to understand all the work they are committing to and drives alignment in the Team. Which enables success.
The Daily Standup shouldn't start until all participants arrive.
MYTH
Daily Standups start and end at the same time every day. Be there, or miss part of the Scrum.
If the Team cannot demonstrate a Story because it wasn't completed, it's okay for a Manager to question the Team's approach in this meeting.
MYTH
Managers should work with the Scrum Master to find constructive means for coaching the Team outside of this ceremony.
Psychological safety is essential for a good retrospective.
FACT
A high-performance team has conversations around topics that the typical Team finds un-discussable. These discussions happen when people feel safe, which the Scrum Master works systematically to achieve.
It is OK for a Story not to have Acceptance Criteria.
MYTH
It’s not OK. Without acceptance criteria, it’s impossible to know what must be demonstrated.
Use up to a 4 hour time-box to do a Sprint Planning ceremony for a 2-week Sprint.
FACT
For a 2-week sprint, set aside 2–4 hours for Sprint Planning:
• 1–2 hours for clarifying Product Backlog Items i.e. Features
• 1–2 hours for breaking Product Backlog items into Stories
Discussions of how to resolve issues should be done during ad hoc meetings after the Daily Standup.
FACT
Without moving longer conversations to separate meetings, it's difficult to keep the Daily Standup within its time-box. While all the members of the Delivery Team should work to ensure this happens, the Scrum Master is ultimately responsible for ensuring this result.
If the Team has not formally closed out Stories, the first part of Sprint Demo is a good time to do that.
FACT
The Team should compare stories against their Definition of Done and formally close them out. Some Teams do this during a Sprint as a Story is completed. Some teams do this at the Sprint Demo.
The Scrum Master should always facilitate the Retrospective.
MYTH
While traditionally this ceremony is facilitated by the Scrum Master, any Delivery Team member can facilitate it. Changing facilitators, like changing the exercise the Team uses for the retrospectives, keeps the Team from falling into a rut.
Estimates made by the Delivery Team during Refinement can be revised during the Sprint Planning ceremony.
FACT
It is best not to stick with an earlier estimate when new information warrants a change.