---
# System prepended metadata

title: The Scrum Guide
tags: [Scrum]

---

# The Scrum Guide
###### tags: `Scrum`

## Purpose of the Scrum Guide

first version 2010 -> to help people wolrdwide understand Scrum. 

The guide contains 
a definition of Scrum, each element of the framework servers a specific purpose that is essential to the overall value and results realized with Scrum. 

You must follow the "rules" or the framework is useless. 

## Scrum Definition
A lightweight framework that helps people, teams and organizations generate value trough adaptive solutions for complex problems. 

1. A Product Owner orders the work for a complex problem into a Product Backlog. 
2. The Scrum Teams turns a selection of the work into an increment of value during a Sprint. 
3. The Scrum Team and its Stakeholders inspect the results and adjust for the next Sprint. 
4. Repeat. 

Scrum is simple. Help to achieve goals and create value. 

Its incomplete, only describing the parts required to implement Scrum theory. 

## Scrum Theory
founded on empiricism and lean thinking. 

Empiricism: assert that knowledge comes from experience and making decisions based on what is observed. 

Lean thinking: reduces waste and focuses on the essentials. 

employs an iteractive, incremental approach to optimize predicatbility and control risk. 
Engages group of people who collectively have all the skills and expertise to do the work and share acquire such skills as needed. 

Scrum combines 4 formal events for inspection and adaptation within a containing event: **The Sprint**. 

the sprint implement the empirical Scrum pillars: 
*Transparency, inspection, adaptation* (the artifacts)

### Transparency
Emergent process and work must be visible to those performing the work as well those receiving the work. 

important decisions are based on the perceived state of its 3 formal artifacts. 

Artifacts with low transparency can lead to decisions that diminish value and increase risk. 

Transparency enables inspection. 

### Inspection
progress towards agreed goals must be inspected frequently and diligently to detect potentially undesirable variances or problems. 

Scrum provides cadence in the form of its 5 events. 

Inspection without transparency is misleading and wasteful. 

Inspection enables adaptation. 

### Adaptation 
Any aspects of a process deviate put side acceptable limits or if the resulting product is unacceptable. 

The adjustment must be made as soon as possible to minimize further deviation. 

Adaptation becomes more difficult when the people involved are not empowered or self-managing. 

Inception without adaptation is considered pointless. Scrum events are designed to provoke change. 

## Scrum Values

Successful use of Scrum depends on people becoming more proficient in living 5 values: 

**Commitment**
- commits to achieve its goals and support each other. 


**Focus**
- on the work of the Sprints to make the best possible progress towards these goals.

**Openness**
- open about challenges
- Stakeholder and Scrum Team.

**Respect**
- Scrum members respect each other to be capable, independent people, and respected as such by the people they work with. 

**Courage**
- have the courage to do the right thing to work on tough problems. 

## Scrum Team
The fundamental unit of Scrum is a small team of people. 
It consists of one Scrum Master, one Product Owner, and Developers. 

There are now sub-teams or hierarchies. 
It is a unit of professionals focused on one objective at a time, the Product Goal. 

cross-functional: members have all the skills necessary to create value each Sprint. 
Self-managing: internally decide who does what, when and how. 

Scrum team is small enough to remain nimble and large enough to complete significant work within a Sprint. 

Scrum team is responsible for all product-related activities from stakeholders collaboration, verification, maintenance, operation, experimentation, research and development. 

### Developers
are committed to creating any aspect of a usable increment each Sprint. 

Specific skills needed by the developers are often broad and will vary with the domain of work. 

Always
- creating a plan for the Sprint, the Sprint Backlog
- Instilling quality by adhering to a Definition of Done
- Adapting their plan each day towards the Sprint Goal
- Holding each other accountable as professionals. 

### Product Owner
accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team. 

The product owner is accountable for effective product backlog management
- developing and explicitly communicating the product goals
- Creating and clearly communicating product backlog items
- ordering product backlog items
- ensuring that the product backlog is transparent, visible and understood. 

The product owner may delegate. 

for the product owner to succeed, the entire organization must respect their decisions. 
Decisions must be visible in the content and ordering of the Product backlog

The product owner represent the needs of many stakeholders in the product backlog. 

### Scrum Master
Establishing Scrum as defined in the Scrum guide. 
Help everyone understand scrum theory and practice. 

accountable for the scrum teams effectiveness. 

Scrum Masters are true leaders who serve the Scrum Team and the larger organization. 

Serves the Scrum team
- coaching the team members in self-management and cross-functionality
- helping the Scrum team focus on creating high-value increments that meet the definitions of done
- Causing the removal of impediments to the Scrum teams progress 
- ensuring that all scrum events take place and are positive, productive and kept within the timebox.


The Scrum master serves the product owner in serval ways
- Helping find techniques for effective product goal definition and product backlog management
- helping the Scrum team understand the need for clear and concise product backlog items. 
- helping establish empirical product planning for a complex environment 
- facilitating stakeholder collaboration as requested or needed. 

Scrum master serves the organization: 
- Leading, traning, and coaching the organization in its Scrum adoption 
- planning and advising Scrum implementations within the organization
- helping employees and stakeholders understand and enact an empirical approach for complex work
- removing barriers between stateholders and Scrum teams. 

## Scrum Events 
The sprint is a container for all other events. 

Each event in Scrum is a formal opportunity to inspect and adapt Scrum artifacts. 

These events are specifically designed to enable the transparency required. 

Used ro create regualrity and to minimize the need for meetings not defined in Scrum.

### The Sprints
The heartbeat from Scrum, where ideas turn into value. 

fixed length events of one month or less to create consistency. 

The new sprint start immediately after the conclusion of the previous Sprint. 

All work necessary yo archieve the Product goal, including sprint planning, daily scrum, sprint review, sprint retrospective happen within Sprints. 

Duing the Sprint
- No changes are made that would endanger the Sprint Goal
- Quality does not decrease
- The product backlog is refined as needed
- Scope may be clarified and renegotiatied with the Product Owner as more is learned. 

enable predictability by ensuring inspection and adaptation of progress toward a product goal. 

various practices exist to forecast progress, like burn-down, burn-ups or cumlative flows. 

A sprint could be cancelled if the Sprint goal becomes absolute. Only done by Product Owner. 

### Sprint Planning

initiates the Sprint by laying out the work to be performed for the sprint. 
This resulting plan is created by the collaborative work of the entire Scrum team. 

The Product Owner ensures that attentees are prepared to dicuss the most important Product Backlog items and how they map the product goal. 

Sprint Planning addresses: 

**Why is this Sprint valuable?**

**What can be Done this Sprint?**

**How will the chosen work get done?**

Planning takes max: 8 hours. 

### Daily Scrum 
inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint backlog as necessary, adjusting the upcoming planned work. 

Daily Scrum: 15 min everyday

reduce complexity. 

Developers can select any strcuture and techniques they want. 

The focus: progress toward the Sprint Goal and produces an actionable plan for the next work. 

Creates focus and improves self-management. 

improve communication, identify impediments, promote quick-decision-making 

### Sprint Review

inspect the outcome of the Sprint and determine future adapatations. 

Scrum team presents the results of their work to key stakeholders and progress toward the Product Goal is discussed. 

Time: Max 4 hours for a 1 month sprint. 

second to last event of the Sprint. 

### Sprint Retropective

Plan ways to increase quality and effectiveness. 

The Scrum Team inspects how the last Sprint went: individual, interactions, processes, tools, their Definition of Done. 

Scrum Team identifies the most helpful changes to improve its effectiveness. 

it conclides the Sprint. 

time: max 3 hours for a 1 month Sprint. 

## Scrum Artifacts
represent work or value. 
designed to maximize transparency of key information. 

Everyone inspecting them has the same basis for adaptation. 

each artifact contains a commitment to ensure it providdes information that enhanes transparaency and focus against which progress can be measured: 
- For the product Backlog it is the Product Goal
- For the Sprint Backlog it is the Sprint Goal.
- For the Increment it is the Definition of Done. 

## Product Backlog
emergent, ordered list of what is needed to improve the product. 

Product Backlog can be Done by Scrum Team within one Sprint are deemed ready for selection in a Sprint Planning event. 
Acquire this degree of transparency after refining activities. 

Product Backlog refinement is the act of breaking down and further defining Product Backlog items into smaller. 

ongoing activity to add details, such as a description, order, and size. 

### Commitment: Product Goal
Describes the future state of the product which can serve as a target for the Scrum Team. 

The Product Goal is in the Product Backlog. 
The rest of the Product Backlog emerges to define "what" will fulfill the Product Goal. 

The Product Goal is the long-term objective for the Scrum Team. 

## Sprint Backlog
composed of the Sprint Goal (why) the set of Product Vacklog items selected for the Sprint (what) as well as an actionable plan for delivering the Increment (how)

The Sprint Backlog is a plan by and for the Developers. 
Highly visible, real-time picture of the work. 

### Commitment: Sprint Goal
single objective for the Sprint. 
Commitment by the Developers. 

It provides flexibility in terms of the exact work needed to achieve it. 

Creates coherence and focus, encouraging the Scrum Team to work together rather than on separate initiatives. 

Created during the Sprint Planning event and then added to the Sprint Backlog. 

as developers work during the Sprint, they keep the Sprint Goal in mind. 

## Increment 
Concrete stepping stone toward the Product Goal. 

Each increment is additive to all pripr Increments and thoroghly verified ensuring that all Increments work together. 

Multiple Increments may be created within a Sprint. 
The sum of the Increments is presented at the Sprint Review. 

Increments may be delivered to stakeholders prior to the end of the Sprint. 

The Sprint Review should never be considered a gate to releasing value. 

Work cannot be considered part of an Increment unless it meets the Definition of Done. 

### The Definition of Done
formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality measures required for the Product. 

The momment a Product Backlog item meets the Definition of Done, an Increment is born. 

creates transparency by provides everyone a shared understanding of what work was completed as part of the Increment. 

If a Product Backlog item does not meet the Definition of Done, it cannot be released or even presented at the Sprint Review. Instead, it returns to the Product Backlog for future consideration.

The Developers are required to comform to the Definition of Done. 













