ScrumAA Glossary

ScrumAA Glossary

Acceptance Criteria

Details just what needs to be done for the Product Backlog Item to be considered complete. This helps teams estimate, test, and accomplish the work. The concepts of Acceptance Criteria and Definition of Done sound very similar, but they are quite distinct.

Artifacts

Items which represent work or value. There are 3 Artifacts in Scrum; (Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, and Product Increment).

Backlog

An ordered, prioritized list of work to be done by the Scrum Team. The Product Owner curates the Backlog.

Backlog Item

An item that represents a piece of work to be done by the Scrum Team.

Backlog Refinement

The ongoing process of adding detail, estimates, and order to items in the Backlog. Refinement usually consumes no more than 10% of the capacity of the Team. However, Backlog Items can be updated at any time by the Product Owner or at the Product Owner’s discretion.

Cross-Functional Team

A team with all the competencies needed to accomplish work they are given without outside help. Cross-functional teams are proven to be more flexible, creative, and productive than teams that specialize in only one of the competencies needed to get the work done.

Commitment

One of the five Scrum Values. People personally commit to achieving the goals of the Scrum Team.

Daily Scrum

One of the 5 Scrum Events, this meeting lasts no more than fifteen minutes and happens every workday at the same appointed time and place. Everyone on the team attends. At this meeting, the information needed to assess progress is presented, and any impediments are noted. This information may result in re-planning of the Sprint.

Definition of Done

The Product Owner states specific requirements and acceptance tests that similar Product Backlog Items must meet in order to be completed.

Definition of Ready

Information needed by the team in order to understand and complete a Product Backlog Item (PBI). Examples include the I.N.V.E.S.T. Criteria. There should be no further conversation or exploration of what is needed for the team to complete the PBI.

Development Team

Also known simply as the Team, it is comprised of people who work on Sprint Backlog Items. It acts as ‘one team’ and has all the skills needed to produce a working tested increment each Sprint. The development team is:

• Self-Organizing
• Cross-Functional
• Accountable
• Small with 3 – 9 team members

Estimation

The act of predicting how much effort will be needed to complete work on a Product Backlog Item. But without it Product Owners and Scrum Masters will struggle with securing a release date and showing velocity improvement. There are many methods. Most commonly occurs during Product Backlog Refinement.

Impediment

Anything that slows the Team down or prevents them from completing work. The key is to identify and remove impediments as quickly and systematically as possible. The Scrum Master helps the team remove impediments and is accountable for surfacing impediments the team can’t remove on their own.

Increment

Also commonly referred to as a ‘Potentially Shippable Product Increment.’ It is the sum of all the Product Backlog Items completed during a Sprint. It is one of the three Scrum Artifacts and represents a step towards a vision, product, or goal. Each Sprint must include at least one Increment in order to be considered successful.

INVEST Criteria

An acronym that details the elements an individual Product Backlog Item needs to meet in order to meet the Definition of Ready.

• I – INDEPENDENT
• N – NEGOTIABLE
• V – VALUE
• E – ESTIMABLE
• S – SMALL
• T – TESTABLE

Minimum Viable Product

A version of a product which allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least amount of effort.

Product Owner

One of three Scrum Roles. Responsible for creating a compelling product vision that is executable. Other responsibilities include curating and prioritizing a Product Backlog, spending 50% of their time with customers and stakeholders, and 50% working closely with the team.

Release Planning

Collaboratively agree what is to be achieved by a Scrum of Scrums Team using a longer planning horizon than a single Sprint (usually 1-6 months). A Product Owner Team led event used to acquire funding, drive marketing, and align stakeholder/team expectations. A timeboxed event of no more than 4 hours for a one month period.

Roles

A specialized function in a particular situation. In Scrum there are three roles: Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Team Member. This simple structure creates clear accountability and efficient communication while removing unneeded bureaucracy.

Scrum

A framework within which people can address complex adaptive problems, while productively and creatively delivering products of the highest possible value. Scrum is:

• Lightweight
• Simple to understand
• Difficult to master

Scrum Artifacts

There are three Artifacts in Scrum; the Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, and Increment. Scrum’s artifacts represent work or value. Artifacts defined by Scrum are specifically designed to maximize transparency of key information so that everybody has the same understanding of the artifact.

Sprint Board

A tool that makes visible a Scrum Team’s Sprint Backlog and progress during a Sprint. Can take many forms ranging from a digital tool to a three column board labeled ‘Do’, ‘Doing’, ‘Done’. The board is updated by the Team and shows all items that need to be completed, are in progress, or are finished in the Sprint.

Scrum Master

One of the three roles in Scrum. A servant-leader for the team and the wider organization. Accountable for the removal of impediments and coaching the team in Scrum practices, usually by facilitating Scrum Events. Which is why they own the process in Scrum.

Scrum Team

Consists of a Product Owner, Team Members, and a Scrum Master. They deliver products iteratively and incrementally, maximizing opportunities for feedback. They are also small (3-9 total members) in order to create clear and effective communication. Scrum Teams are:

• self-organizing
• cross-functional
• flexible
• creative
• productive

Scrum Values

There are five Scrum Values:

• Commitment
• Courage
• Focus
• Openness
• Respect

When these values are embodied and lived by the Scrum Team, the Scrum pillars of transparency, inspection, and adaptation come to life and build trust for everyone.

Sprint

One of the five Scrum Events. It is a short, consistent cycle no longer than four weeks. The goal is to have an iteration short enough to keep the team focused but long enough to deliver a meaningful increment of work. All other Scrum Events take place during a Sprint. Once a Sprint is finished, the next begins.

Sprint Backlog

The set of Product Backlog Items selected for the Sprint, plus a plan for delivering the Increment and realizing the Sprint Goal. It includes at least one Improvement identified at the last Sprint Retrospective. It makes visible all of the work the Team identifies as necessary to meet the Sprint Goal.

Sprint Goal

An objective set for the Sprint that can be met through the completion of Sprint Backlog Items. It provides guidance on why the Increment is being built.

Sprint Planning

One of the five Scrum Events. Where the work to be performed in the Sprint is planned. This event is time-boxed to a maximum of eight hours for a one-month Sprint. For shorter Sprints, the event is usually shorter. The Scrum Master ensures that the event takes place and that attendants understand its purpose.

Sprint Retrospective

One of the five Scrum Events. An opportunity for the Scrum Team to inspect itself and create a plan for improvements to be enacted during the next Sprint. This event occurs after the Sprint Review and prior to the next Sprint Planning. At most a three-hour meeting for one-month Sprints.

Sprint Review

One of the five Scrum Events. Held at the end of the Sprint to allow customers and stakeholders to inspect the Increment, give feedback, and for the Scrum Team to adapt the Product Backlog if needed. This is at most a four-hour meeting for one-month Sprints.

Story Points

Used by Scrum Teams in estimation, an abstract measure of the relative effort required to complete a given Product Backlog Item (PBI). A commonly used type of estimation uses story points and the Fibonacci sequence to quickly generate accurate estimates for PBI’s.

Timebox

A fixed, maximum length of time for an activity or event. Scrum uses timeboxing for all of the Scrum events and as a tool for concretely defining open-ended or ambiguous tasks.

Velocity

A measure of the amount of work a Scrum Team can accomplish during a single Sprint. An important metric in Scrum. Velocity is calculated at the end of the Sprint by totaling the Points for all fully completed Sprint Backlog Items.

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More Scrum info can be found in the Scrum Guide