Scrum Events

Scrum prescribes five formal events (sometimes called ceremonies) that create regularity and minimise the need for unplanned meetings. Each event is an opportunity to inspect and adapt. Skipping or shortcutting these events reduces transparency and limits the team's ability to improve.

---

Overview of Scrum Events

Event	Purpose	Time-Box	Participants
The Sprint	Container for all other events; produce a Done Increment	1-4 weeks (fixed)	Entire Scrum Team
Sprint Planning	Define the Sprint Goal and select work for the Sprint	8 hours max for a 4-week Sprint	Entire Scrum Team
Daily Scrum	Inspect progress and adapt the plan for the day	15 minutes	Developers (SM and PO may attend)
Sprint Review	Inspect the Increment and adapt the Product Backlog	4 hours max for a 4-week Sprint	Scrum Team + Stakeholders
Sprint Retrospective	Inspect the process and create improvement actions	3 hours max for a 4-week Sprint	Entire Scrum Team

---

The Sprint

The Sprint is the heartbeat of Scrum — a fixed-length iteration during which the team creates a Done, usable product Increment.

Key Rules

• Sprint length is fixed (most teams use 2 weeks)
• A new Sprint starts immediately after the previous one ends
• No changes are made that would endanger the Sprint Goal
• Quality does not decrease
• The Product Backlog is refined as needed
• Scope may be clarified and re-negotiated with the Product Owner

What Happens During a Sprint

Sprint Planning (Day 1)
      |
      v
Development Work + Daily Scrums
      |
      v
Sprint Review (last day or second-to-last day)
      |
      v
Sprint Retrospective (last day)

Tip: Only the Product Owner has the authority to cancel a Sprint, and this should only happen if the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete. Sprint cancellations are rare.

---

Sprint Planning

Sprint Planning initiates the Sprint. The team answers three questions:

Question	Who Leads	Outcome
Why is this Sprint valuable?	Product Owner proposes a Sprint Goal	Sprint Goal
What can be Done this Sprint?	Developers select items from the Product Backlog	Selected Product Backlog items
How will the chosen work get done?	Developers decompose items into tasks	Sprint Backlog (plan for the Sprint)

Sprint Planning Best Practices

• The Product Backlog should be refined before Sprint Planning (not during)
• The Sprint Goal should be meaningful and focused — not a laundry list
• Developers should consider their capacity (holidays, meetings, other commitments)
• Tasks should be small enough to track progress daily (ideally less than one day of work)

---

Daily Scrum

The Daily Scrum (often called the "stand-up") is a 15-minute event for the Developers to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog.

Format

The Scrum Guide does not prescribe a specific format. Common approaches include:

Three Questions Format:

• What did I do yesterday that helped meet the Sprint Goal?
• What will I do today to help meet the Sprint Goal?
• Do I see any impediments?

Walk the Board Format:

• The team reviews the Sprint Board from right to left
• Focus on items closest to Done first
• Identify blocked items

Daily Scrum Anti-Patterns