Become a Certified Project Manager: A Typical Scrum Sprint

In the past few articles, we have covered the basics of Scrum, its history as well as the key participants of a Scrum Project. Let us now look at a typical Scrum Cycle.

Before Project Start – Product Backlog

The prerequisite without which you cannot start any scrum project is the Product Backlog. The Product Backlog contains a prioritized list of Project/Product Business Requirements written in the form of user stories.

The Start – Sprint Planning Meeting

Each Sprint begins with a “Sprint Planning Meeting” where high priority requirements are considered for inclusion in the Sprint. At the end of the Planning meeting, the final list of prioritized business requirements that will be a part of the current Sprint will be ready.

The Sprint

A sprint usually lasts between 1 – 4 weeks during which the team will work together to create the Deliverables. During the Sprint, short, highly focused Daily Stand-up Meetings are conducted where the team discusses their progress. Each work activity is tracked to closure to ensure that all the deliverables are ready by the end of the cycle.

Before Sprint Ends

Toward the end of the Sprint, a “Sprint Review Meeting” is held where the Product Owner and all the relevant stakeholders are given a “Demo” of the deliverables. At the end of this meeting, the Product Owner accepts the Deliverables. A point to note here is that the Product Owner will accept the deliverables only if they meet the “Predefined Acceptance Criteria” which gets set when the sprint starts.

The End of the Sprint

At the end of the Sprint Cycle, a “Retrospect Sprint Meeting” is conducted where the team get together and discuss ways to improve processes and performance in the upcoming sprints. The picture below summarizes the Scrum Cycle.