A Developer joining their first Scrum Team asks what the Sprint Backlog actually consists of. Which answer is complete?
Professional Scrum Master I, objective 1. Understanding and applying the Scrum framework easy
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The options
Correct The Sprint Goal, the Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint, and an actionable plan for delivering the Increment
Correct. Why, what and how — and the first of the three is the one that turns the other two into a Sprint rather than a work queue.
Not correct The list of Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint
Wrong, and it is the most common half-answer. Without the Sprint Goal there is nothing to protect the Sprint from change, and without the plan there is nothing for the Developers to inspect each day.
Not correct The Sprint Goal together with the Definition of Done for the Sprint
Wrong. The Definition of Done is the Increment's commitment, not part of the Sprint Backlog, and it is a standard for the product rather than something set per Sprint.
Not correct Every task in the Sprint, broken down to a day or less, each with a named Developer against it
Wrong. Decomposing into work of a day or less is a technique Scrum mentions, not a requirement, and Scrum never allocates work to named individuals in advance — the Developers decide who does what, when.
Why
Sprint Backlog equals why plus what plus how: the Sprint Goal, the selected items, and the plan for delivering the Increment. It is worth pairing that with the commitments: the Product Backlog carries the Product Goal, the Sprint Backlog carries the Sprint Goal, the Increment carries the Definition of Done. Three artifacts, three commitments, and each commitment exists to make its artifact something you can measure progress against.
Where this comes from
- Cited
- Scrum Guide section Sprint Backlog
- What it says
- The Sprint Backlog is composed of the Sprint Goal (why), the set of Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint (what), as well as an actionable plan for delivering the Increment (how).
Practise this
Reading one question is not practice. The trainer will draw a set from objective 1 and space the ones you get wrong.
Practise Professional Scrum Master I
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