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Scrum Artifact: Sprint Backlog

Posted on: 05-18-2009 Posted in: Scrum
The sprint backlog is the list of tasks that the Scrum team is committing that they will complete in the current sprint. Items on the sprint backlog are drawn from the Product Backlog, by the team based on the priorities set by the Product Owner and the team’s perception of the time it will take to complete the various features.
It is critical that the team selects the items and size of the sprint backlog. Because they are the ones committing to completing the tasks they must be the ones to choose what they are committing to.
The sprint backlog is very commonly maintained as an Excel spreadsheet but it is also possible to use your defect tracking system or any of a number of software products designed specifically for Scrum or agile.
 During the Sprint the ScrumMaster maintains the sprint backlog by updating it to reflect which tasks are completed and how long the team thinks it will take to complete those that are not yet done.
The sprint backlog is a document containing information about how the team is going to implement the features for the upcoming sprint. Features are broken down into tasks; as a best practice tasks are normally estimated between four and 16 hours of work. With this level of detail the whole team understands exactly what to do, and anyone can potentially pick a task from the list. Tasks on the sprint backlog are never assigned; rather, tasks are signed up for by the team members as needed, according to the set priority and the team member skills.
The sprint backlog is property of the Team. Estimations are set by the Team. Often an according Task Board is used to see and change the state of the tasks of the current sprint, like “to do”, “in progress” and “done”.
The sprint backlog is a simple list of the tasks that must executed by the team in order to deliver an increment of functional software at the end of that sprint. Sprint backlog creation happens in the second part of the sprint planning meeting with the participation of every team member. Giving some real attention to this process is fundamental to a better understanding by the team about what should be done and to better planning during the sprint. Despite this, many teams still struggle with this activity. I hope these tips will help.

 

The Sprint Backlog

Definition

Similar to the Product Backlog, the Sprint Backlog is a list of tasks that the Scrum team is committing to deliver within the current Sprint. The Sprint Backlog is a simple list of the tasks that must executed by the team in order to deliver an increment of functional software at the end of the Sprint.

How the Sprint Backlog works

Based on the priorities set by the Product Owner, the Scrum team selects as many items from the Product Backlog as they believe they can complete within the current Sprint.

Sprint Backlog creation happens in the second part of the Sprint Planning meeting with the participation of every team member.  It is critical that the team selects the items and size of the Sprint Backlog since they will be the ones committing to completing the tasks.

During the Sprint the Scrum Master maintains the Sprint Backlog by updating it to reflect which tasks are completed and how long the team thinks it will take to complete those that are not yet done.

 

References:

  • Learning Scrum – The Sprint Backlog
  • Scrum (development) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  • Scrum Alliance -9 Tips for Creating a Good Sprint Backlog

About the Author

Martin Proulx
I am an agile organizational coach and president of Pyxis Technologies.   Most people agree that I am an effective coach, an influential leader and a change agent oriented towards achieving extra-ordinary results. For nearly 20 years, I have put in place and managed software development organizations. Throughout the years, I have developed an expertise in organizational development, business process reengineering, people and project management.

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