What are Scrum Events

2023-07-28T11:55:10+02:00Framework Scrum|

tDo you know what are Events in the Scrum methodology? In Scrum there are different predefined events that aim to create regularity and minimize the need for meetings not defined in Scrum.

The Sprint itself is the container for the rest of the events and each of these Scrum events is an opportunity for inspection and adaptation to the project. The Sprint has a fixed duration, maximum 4 weeks, and can neither be shortened nor lengthened, the rest of the Scrum events will have a proportional duration or another depending on the time of the Sprint itself.

Scrum events are designed for the Scrum Team, but not all members will attend all events, and not all roles will have the same responsibilities within each event.

There are 5 Events in Scrum:

  • Sprint
  • Sprint Planning
  • Daily Scrum
  • Sprint Review
  • Sprint Retrospective
scrum methodology

The 5 phases of a Sprint

When a project starts, the Product Owner must deliver a prioritized list of objectives or requirements, known as the project plan, and the task of the Scrum Master, who is the project manager, is to remove obstacles that may appear during development and streamline processes in order to achieve the objectives within a set timeframe.

To achieve these objectives, 5 phases are specified in the sprint:

1. Sprint

It could be said that Sprint is the name given to each cycle or iteration within a Scrum project.

The Sprint is the heart of the Scrum methodology. It is a Scrum event that takes place over a short period of time, between 2 and 4 weeks during which a Scrum Team works to create a usable and deployable “Finished” product increment. During the development of a project, all Sprints should have the same duration.

It should be a short period so that the project is not spread out over time and feedback with the customer is not lost.

Each Sprint starts immediately after the completion of the previous Sprint.

What is achieved with the Sprints is that when a customer proposes a project, a Product Backlog that are the requirements, this can be divided into cycles, in Sprints (Sprint Planning, Daily Meeting, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective Sprint), where in each of them a fully functioning product is obtained.

During the Sprint:

  • No changes are made that may affect the Sprint Goal
  • Quality objectives cannot be lowered
  • Scope can be renegotiated with Product Owner and Development Team

2. Sprint Planning Meeting

The Sprint Planning meeting is used to plan the work to be done during a sprint and all members of the Scrum Team participate in it.

It is perhaps the most important part of the project, since good planning is essential to meet the established deadlines.

During the Sprint Planning, two questions must be answered:

  • What incremental value can be delivered as a result of the Sprint that begins?
  • How will the work necessary to deliver that increment be performed?

Role responsibilities in Sprint Planning

The Development Team works to project the functionality to be developed during the Sprint.

The Product Owner defines what goal should be achieved during the Sprint and the elements of the Product Backlog.

The Scrum Master should delegate the corresponding tasks to each team and make delivery time predictions, his task is to make sure that the event takes place and that the attendees understand its purpose and teaches them to stay within the time frame.

During the Sprint Planning the Scrum Team defines the Sprint Goal, the objective of the Sprint. This goal is achieved during the Sprint through the development of the Product Backlog. Once the Sprint Goal is clear, the Development Team will select elements from the Product Backlog to define the Sprint Backlog.

It is recommended the use of Scrum Software to be able to assign the tasks as well as to know the status of each one of them. With this knowledge, it is possible to know if the timelines will be met or if it is necessary to take measures to bring the project back on track.

How long does a Sprint Planning last?

The sprint planning time is variable; for a 4 week Sprint the maximum Sprint Planning time will be 8 hours, for a 3 week Sprint it will be a maximum of 6 hours and so on proportionally.

pass your tasks to done

3. Daily Scrum Meeting

The purpose of the Daily Scrum Meeting is for the Development Team to share the progress of their tasks and create a plan for the next day’s work. The team should be able, in these daily scrums, to explain to the Scrum Master and Product Owner how they are going to work to achieve the goal.

The Daily Scrum, known as Daily, is performed daily in the same place and at the same time with the Development Team to streamline the process and should not be longer than 15 minutes.

These daily scrums or dailys streamline communications and manage to focus the project in time: it is in these dailys where the obstacles that impede the progress of the development are detected, help to make decisions that favor the fulfillment of the timelines while the development team gets to know the project in depth.

More about Daily Scrum Meetings

How long does a Daily Scrum Meeting last?

In this case, the duration of the Sprint is independent, a Daily Scrum should last a maximum of 15 minutes per day.

4. Sprint review

It is at the Sprint Review that the team presents to the customer and the team the requirements defined in the Sprint Planning Meeting in the form of product enhancement and development. If necessary, it is at this meeting that the Product Backlog can be adapted.

It is an informal meeting that takes place at the end of the Sprint in which the development done is presented and the attendees propose new things to do, thus enhancing collaboration among all.

The Sprint review includes:

  • The attendees are the Scrum Team and the Product Owner’s guests
  • The same Product Owner highlights which objectives have been achieved and which have not
  • Again, the Product Owner analyzes the status of the Product Backlog and proposes a new project completion date by analyzing the work done up to this sprint review
  • The development team presents what was done well and what was not, and how the problems were solved during the sprint
  • The development team can present the shortcomings in order to find a solution
  • Together, new tasks are proposed that add new value to the product

The result of the Sprint Review is a revised Product Backlog that defines the elements of the next Sprint Backlog. 

How long does a Sprint Review last?

Depending on the duration of the Sprint, the time of a Sprint Review will vary. Thus, for a 4-week Sprint, the Sprint Review should be a maximum of 4 hours, and so on proportionally according to the number of weeks of the Sprint.

5. Sprint retrospective

It is used to inspect the work done by the Scrum Team and propose improvements to apply to the next Sprint. It is an opportunity for the Scrum Team to inspect itself and to create an improvement plan for the next Sprint.

The Scrum Master should motivate the team to improve their development process within the Scrum framework and participates in the meeting as a member of the team.

The Scrum Team plans ways to improve product quality by improving processes and adapting the definition of “Finished” or “Done”.

It should be analyzed:

  • What went right and what went wrong in the last Sprint, in order to remedy and solve in advance the obstacles that have already appeared.
  • Interpersonal relationships

Based on the outcome of the Sprint Retrospective meeting, it is recommended to implement an improvement plan on how to work more effectively for the next Sprint.

How long does a Sprint Restrospective last?

It will also depend on the total duration of the Sprint. For a 4 week Sprint the Retrospective Sprint should last 3 hours maximum, for a 3 week Sprint it should last 2.25 hours and so on proportionally up to the 1 week Sprint.

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