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What is Scrum Terminology?
Posted by SCRUMstudy® on July 01, 2023
Categories: Agile Iterative Development SBOK® Guide Scrum Scrum Guide
Scrum terminology refers to the specific language and concepts used within the Scrum framework, a popular Agile methodology for project management. Key terms include "Scrum Team," which comprises the Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Development Team; "Sprint," a time-boxed iteration typically lasting 2-4 weeks during which a potentially shippable product increment is created; "Backlog," which includes the Product Backlog (a prioritized list of features and requirements) and the Sprint Backlog (a list of tasks for the current sprint); "Daily Standup," a short daily meeting for team synchronization; and "Increment," the sum of all the Product Backlog items completed during a Sprint. Understanding these terms is essential for effective communication and collaboration in Scrum projects.
This is because with Scrum the entire project is split into a sequence of iterations called Sprints. Each Sprint is time-boxed for not more than one month and planned well in advance. Planning is completed not according to a set of prescribed tools, but according to the requirements as decided by the Scrum team. As such, a self-organizing and cross-functional team is the backbone of the Scrum method. To ensure maximum cooperation among team members, face-to-face communication is encouraged. Also, the business stakeholders and the technical team work in close collaboration, thereby ensuring the delivery of high-quality, working software.
The Scrum team's two key roles are those of Scrum Master and Product Owner. The latter represents the product users and customers while the former is the chief facilitator who steers the technical team in the right direction. These two people prepare a list of priority-based features, which is called the Scrum Product Backlog. These features are developed one by one in small, repetitive development cycles consisting of phases such as coding, testing, integrating, and delivering. At the end of each Sprint, a feedback session called a Sprint Review is held during which the team delivers the developed feature to the actual production scene, and the business stakeholders provide feedback based on their evaluation of the feature. The feedback obtained during the Sprint Review Meeting provides teams with input that can be used during the next Sprint.