What Are Scrum Ceremonies?
Scrum ceremonies (sometimes called Scrum events) are important events or elements of the Scrum methodology which follow the agile mindset and are often used in software development or iterative-type projects.
Scrum ceremonies are not just meetings for the sake of having meetings. Rather, they provide the framework for teams to get work done in a structured manner, help to set expectations, empower the team to collaborate effectively, and ultimately drive results.
If they’re not managed appropriately, they can overwhelm calendars and drown out the value they are intended to provide. That said, Scrum itself, like the Scrum ceremonies, is intentionally lightweight and simple.
There are five specifically-defined Scrum ceremonies:
1. The Sprint
3. Daily Scrum
Every single one of these events is time-boxed, intentional, and in service to the overall Scrum team. In other words, they exist to make delivering outcomes possible.
1. The Sprint
A sprint in Scrum is a fixed length of time (usually one month or less) where ideas are turned into value. Sprints occur consecutively until the product is complete (or without end). Often, teams measure their future in sprints.
Sprint Purpose
The purpose of the sprint is to time-box work time and get teams to deliver against commitments. Sprints allow goals that are shorter-term, but solid. During a sprint, nothing should change that would endanger the sprint goal.
Sprint Attendees
Entire Scrum team—product owner, development team, and Scrum master.
Sprint Duration
A sprint is anywhere from 1 to 4 weeks, no longer. This limitation allows teams to get moving and deliver incremental progress without driving people crazy.
2. Sprint Planning Meeting
The Sprint planning meeting is the Scrum event designed to make sure the team is prepared to get the right things done for the upcoming sprint.
Sprint Planning Purpose
Sprint Planning allows the product owner and development team to review the prioritized product backlog usually in Scrum software. Through a series of discussions and negotiations, they identify items they are committing to complete by the end of the sprint. The product owner is responsible for this.
Sprint Planning Attendees
The Scrum team—the product owner, development team, and Scrum master.
Sprint Planning Duration
The length of most Scrum events is related to the length of the sprint. In terms of sprint planning, it should last 2 times the length of the sprint (in hours).
3. Daily Scrum (Daily Stand-up Meeting)
The daily Scrum is the team’s chance to celebrate recent accomplishments, define a plan for the day, and identify any blockers in the Scrum project.
Daily Scrum Meeting Purpose
This Scrum event is a frequent and regular opportunity where the team meets to communicate individual progress toward the sprint goal. It’s not a status update, but should illuminate any impediments of the team.
Daily Scrum Meeting Attendees
The Scrum master and the development team. The product owner is optional.
Daily Scrum Meeting Duration
This one’s short! It should last no more than 15 minutes. Easier said than done.
4. Sprint Review Meeting
The sprint review meeting is the Scrum event where all work completed during the previous sprint can be showcased to the stakeholders.
Sprint Review Purpose
At the conclusion of each sprint, the sprint review provides a platform for the development team to showcase all of the work that has been completed. This allows stakeholders to inspect or adapt the product as it emerges.
Sprint reviews can be conducted in a casual nature or they can be more structured. This can depend on product life cycle and release planning.
Sprint Review Attendees
The Scrum team—product owner, development team, and Scrum master. It may also include a mixture of management or outside stakeholders.
Sprint Review Duration
1 hour per sprint week. A 2 week sprint should have a 2 hour sprint review.
5. Sprint Retrospective Meeting
The sprint retrospective is the final Scrum event in the sprint sequence that allows the team to look back on the work that was completed and identify items that could be improved for future sprints based on their experiences.
Sprint Retrospective Purpose
After a sprint review has been conducted, the Scrum team needs time to reflect on the work that was just showcased and discuss ways to improve both the output and the process. All feedback should be collected and assigned in the same way as other epics or stories so the Scrum team understands who is responsible for what and when the changes will be implemented.
Sprint Retrospective Attendees
The Scrum master and development team. The product owner is optional.
Sprint Retrospective Duration
Typically, sprint retrospectives should last no more than 1.5 hours for a two-week sprint. If your sprints are a month, it should be no longer than 3 hours.
An overview of the agile Scrum framework or methodology:
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