Scrum Events

Scrum is undoubtedly one of the most widely popular agile project management frameworks for managing and delivering high-quality products.  However, as popular as it is, the framework’s efficiency depends on Scrum events, principles, and values. These elements are crucial for successfully implementing the Scrum framework and driving the team to continuous improvement. 

In this guide, we will dig deeper into the Scrum events, their purpose, and best practices for effective implementation. 

So let’s get started!

What are Scrum Events?

Scrum events are time-boxed activities in the Scrum Framework, where teams plan, monitor, and execute the work to deliver high-quality increments. These events are designed to promote the scrum pillars of transparency, inspection, and adaption within the scrum team. Each event serves a unique purpose and provides an opportunity to plan,  review, and reflect on their progress and processes. These events offer a discussion platform for the scrum team to reflect on their experiences and identify areas of improvement. 

The 5 Scrum Events

The Scrum framework has five key events that complete the sprint cycle and provide structure to the team’s workflow. Among these events, one is “Sprint”, while the other four are ceremonies that help the teams plan, review, and reflect on the work completed during the sprint cycle. 

Let’s have a closer look at each Scrum event and how they contribute to the scrum framework:

1. Sprint

A sprint is the heart of the Scrum framework. This is the duration during which the team works on selected backlog items to deliver the potentially shippable increments. It is a time-boxed period, typically as short as one week and as long as one month. The timeframe of the sprint varies depending on the needs and requirements of the Scrum team. 

Let’s have a look at the various aspects of the Sprint:

2. Sprint Planning

Before a scrum team starts a sprint, they carefully pick the work items to work on during the sprint in a sprint planning meeting. During this Scrum event, the team decides on the sprint duration, sprint goal, and picks the work items from the backlog to complete in the sprint. The whole scrum team works together to make a detailed plan to deliver the work item and achieve the sprint goal. 

Let’s have a look at the various aspects of the Sprint planning event:

3. Daily Standup 

Daily standup, also known as daily scrum, is another critical event in the scrum framework in which the scrum team discusses progress and identifies blockers. This quick, 15-minute-long meeting keeps the scrum team aligned, enhances transparency, and sets the agenda for the day. 

Let’s get a clear understanding of the purpose and benefits of the event:

4. Sprint Review

The sprint review is the event that marks the end of the sprint. In this event, the team showcases the work items they completed during the sprint, getting a chance to shine and receive constructive feedback to improve in upcoming sprints. 

Let’s have a look at the essential elements of this key event:

5. Sprint Retrospective

The sprint retrospective is the last event in the sprint cycle in which the scrum team gets the chance to reflect on their efforts and make plans for future improvements. This event provides opportunities for continuous growth and improvement of the scrum team so they can stay aligned with the product goals and vision.
Let’s explore the important details of this event:

How to conduct Scrum Events?

Scrum events are crucial for prompting scrum values and principles within the scrum team. Each event has a specific purpose, timeframe, and set of participants. Here is a comprehensive breakdown of the steps to run Scrum Events:

1. Preparation

This is the first and foremost important step in Scrum events. Proper planning and preparation ensure that everyone understands the events goal, and stays focused and aligned throughout the events.  Preparation includes activities such as: 

1.1. Sprint duration

The first step in sprint planning is to decide on the duration of the sprint. As mentioned earlier, the typical sprint duration can be from 1 to 4 weeks, with 2 weeks being the most common among scrum teams. Based on the sprint duration, the team then decides on the duration of each other’s events such as sprint planning, review, and retrospective. 

1.2. Define sprint goal 

The team should collaborate to define the sprint goal that the team will achieve by the end of the sprint. The product goal provides the guideline for the team to decide which features to deliver by the end of the sprint. 

1.3. Select user stories

Keeping the sprint goal in mind, the product owner will select and prioritize the list of potential user stories from the backlog. The scrum team will collaborate during sprint planning to finalize the user stories to complete during the sprint. 

1.4. Estimate effort 

Once the team has selected the user stories, the team can collaborate to estimate the time and effort required to complete each work item. The team can use techniques such as planning poker or story points to assign effort to each user story and task.  

2. Execution 

Execution is the most critical part of Scrum events where actual work takes place. It includes important sprint ceremonies such as daily standup, sprint review, and retrospective. As discussed earlier, each meeting has a specific purpose, set of participants, and focused outcomes. Here is a breakdown of each Scrum ceremony:

2.1. Daily Standup

The daily standup is a quick and short meeting that takes place every day during the sprint cycle. During this ceremony, the scrum team shares updates and identifies blockers. 

2.2. Sprint Review 

It is a collaborative event where the Scrum team presents the increments completed during the sprint and gathers feedback from the stakeholders. This feedback is then used to refine the backlog and prioritize the work items for future sprints. 

2.3. Sprint Retrospective 

This is the last ceremony in the sprint cycle where the team reflects on efforts and identifies areas of improvement. Unlike the sprint review, which focuses on the product increments, the sprint retrospective focuses on the processes. The team takes this opportunity to improve efficiency, productivity, and collaboration. 

3. Follow-Up

This is an important phase in Scrum events to ensure that action items identified during sprint ceremonies are documented and implemented efficiently. During this phase, the team performs the following activities:

3.1. Documentation 

The team documents all the feedback, blockers, and improvements identified during sprint review and retrospectives for future access and planning. The team may also add work items to the backlog and assign them to team members if necessary. 

3.2. Track progress on improvements 

Once all the improvements and feedback are documented, assign action items to the team member and track their progress. This will ensure continuous improvement and identify further improvements for future sprints. 

Why are Scrum Events Important?

Scrum Events are crucial for maintaining the Scrum Framework’s transparency, accountability, and efficiency. These time-boxed activities help the scrum team stay aligned, focused, and productive. Here is a breakdown of some of the key benefits of the Scrum events:

• They allow team members to inspect their progress and make improvements. 
• Regular ceremonies provide transparency and visibility in the scrum process, allowing the team to spot issues and team velocity. 
• They promote collaboration and communication within the scrum team and help to create a cohesive and collaborative work environment. 
• The time-boxed and comprehensive nature of the Scrum events keeps the team aligned, focused, and productive.
• Continuous feedback loops increase product quality and customer satisfaction. 

In a nutshell, Scrum events are the backbone of the Scrum framework. They provide structure, promote transparency, and ensure continuous improvement. Without Scrum events, the team would struggle to prioritize work items, adapt to change, and improve the team’s overall efficiency. So, if you want your team to improve by leaps and bounds daily, implement scrum events within your development process.