The 2020 Scrum GuideTM
This HTML version of the Scrum Guide is a direct port of the November 2020 version available as a PDF
here.
Purpose of the Scrum Guide
We developed Scrum in the early 1990s. We wrote the first version of the
Scrum Guide in 2010 to help people worldwide understand Scrum. We have
evolved the Guide since then through small, functional updates.
Together, we stand behind it.
The Scrum Guide contains the definition of Scrum. Each element of the
framework serves a specific purpose that is essential to the overall
value and results realized with Scrum. Changing the core design or ideas
of Scrum, leaving out elements, or not following the rules of Scrum,
covers up problems and limits the benefits of Scrum, potentially even
rendering it useless.
We follow the growing use of Scrum within an ever-growing complex world.
We are humbled to see Scrum being adopted in many domains holding
essentially complex work, beyond software product development where
Scrum has its roots. As Scrum’s use spreads, developers, researchers,
analysts, scientists, and other specialists do the work. We use the word
“developers” in Scrum not to exclude, but to simplify. If you get value
from Scrum, consider yourself included.
As Scrum is being used, patterns, processes, and insights that fit the
Scrum framework as described in this document, may be found, applied and
devised. Their description is beyond the purpose of the Scrum Guide
because they are context sensitive and differ widely between Scrum uses.
Such tactics for using within the Scrum framework vary widely and are
described elsewhere.
Scrum Definition
Scrum is a lightweight framework that helps people, teams and
organizations generate value through adaptive solutions for complex
problems.
In a nutshell, Scrum requires a Scrum Master to foster an environment
where:
A Product Owner orders the work for a complex problem into a Product
Backlog.
The Scrum Team turns a selection of the work into an Increment of
value during a Sprint.
The Scrum Team and its stakeholders inspect the results and adjust
for the next Sprint.
Repeat
Scrum is simple. Try it as is and determine if its philosophy, theory,
and structure help to achieve goals and create value. The Scrum
framework is purposefully incomplete, only defining the parts required
to implement Scrum theory. Scrum is built upon by the collective
intelligence of the people using it. Rather than provide people with
detailed instructions, the rules of Scrum guide their relationships and
interactions.
Various processes, techniques and methods can be employed within the
framework. Scrum wraps around existing practices or renders them
unnecessary. Scrum makes visible the relative efficacy of current
management, environment, and work techniques, so that improvements can
be made.
Scrum Theory
Scrum is founded on empiricism and lean thinking. Empiricism asserts
that knowledge comes from experience and making decisions based on what
is observed. Lean thinking reduces waste and focuses on the essentials.
Scrum employs an iterative, incremental approach to optimize
predictability and to control risk. Scrum engages groups of people who
collectively have all the skills and expertise to do the work and share
or acquire such skills as needed.
Scrum combines four formal events for inspection and adaptation within a
containing event, the Sprint. These events work because they implement
the empirical Scrum pillars of transparency, inspection, and adaptation.
Transparency
The emergent process and work must be visible to those performing the
work as well as those receiving the work. With Scrum, important
decisions are based on the perceived state of its three formal
artifacts. Artifacts that have low transparency can lead to decisions
that diminish value and increase risk.
Transparency enables inspection. Inspection without transparency is
misleading and wasteful.
Inspection
The Scrum artifacts and the progress toward agreed goals must be
inspected frequently and diligently to detect potentially undesirable
variances or problems. To help with inspection, Scrum provides cadence
in the form of its five events.
Inspection enables adaptation. Inspection without adaptation is
considered pointless. Scrum events are designed to provoke change.
Adaptation
If any aspects of a process deviate outside acceptable limits or if the
resulting product is unacceptable, the process being applied or the
materials being produced must be adjusted. The adjustment must be made
as soon as possible to minimize further deviation.
Adaptation becomes more difficult when the people involved are not
empowered or self-managing. A Scrum Team is expected to adapt the moment
it learns anything new through inspection.
Scrum Values
Successful use of Scrum depends on people becoming more proficient in
living five values:
Commitment, Focus, Openness, Respect, and Courage
The Scrum Team commits to achieving its goals and to supporting each
other. Their primary focus is on the work of the Sprint to make the best
possible progress toward these goals. The Scrum Team and its
stakeholders are open about the work and the challenges. Scrum Team
members respect each other to be capable, independent people, and are
respected as such by the people with whom they work. The Scrum Team
members have the courage to do the right thing, to work on tough
problems.
These values give direction to the Scrum Team with regard to their work,
actions, and behavior. The decisions that are made, the steps taken, and
the way Scrum is used should reinforce these values, not diminish or
undermine them. The Scrum Team members learn and explore the values as
they work with the Scrum events and artifacts. When these values are
embodied by the Scrum Team and the people they work with, the empirical
Scrum pillars of transparency, inspection, and adaptation come to life
building trust.
Scrum Team
The fundamental unit of Scrum is a small team of people, a Scrum Team.
The Scrum Team consists of one Scrum Master, one Product Owner, and
Developers. Within a Scrum Team, there are no sub-teams or hierarchies.
It is a cohesive unit of professionals focused on one objective at a
time, the Product Goal.
Scrum Teams are cross-functional, meaning the members have all the
skills necessary to create value each Sprint. They are also
self-managing, meaning they internally decide who does what, when, and
how.
The Scrum Team is small enough to remain nimble and large enough to
complete significant work within a Sprint, typically 10 or fewer people.
In general, we have found that smaller teams communicate better and are
more productive. If Scrum Teams become too large, they should consider
reorganizing into multiple cohesive Scrum Teams, each focused on the
same product. Therefore, they should share the same Product Goal,
Product Backlog, and Product Owner.
The Scrum Team is responsible for all product-related activities from
stakeholder collaboration, verification, maintenance, operation,
experimentation, research and development, and anything else that might
be required. They are structured and empowered by the organization to
manage their own work. Working in Sprints at a sustainable pace improves
the Scrum Team’s focus and consistency.
The entire Scrum Team is accountable for creating a valuable, useful
Increment every Sprint. Scrum defines three specific accountabilities
within the Scrum Team: the Developers, the Product Owner, and the Scrum
Master.
Developers
Developers are the people in the Scrum Team that are committed to
creating any aspect of a usable Increment each Sprint.
The specific skills needed by the Developers are often broad and will
vary with the domain of work. However, the Developers are always
accountable for:
Creating a plan for the Sprint, the Sprint Backlog;
Instilling quality by adhering to a Definition of Done;
Adapting their plan each day toward the Sprint Goal; and,
Holding each other accountable as professionals.
Product Owner
The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product
resulting from the work of the Scrum Team. How this is done may vary
widely across organizations, Scrum Teams, and individuals.
The Product Owner is also accountable for effective Product Backlog
management, which includes:
Developing and explicitly communicating the Product Goal;
Creating and clearly communicating Product Backlog items;
Ordering Product Backlog items; and,
Ensuring that the Product Backlog is transparent, visible and
understood.
The Product Owner may do the above work or may delegate the
responsibility to others. Regardless, the Product Owner remains
accountable.
For Product Owners to succeed, the entire organization must respect
their decisions. These decisions are visible in the content and ordering
of the Product Backlog, and through the inspectable Increment at the
Sprint Review.
The Product Owner is one person, not a committee. The Product Owner may
represent the needs of many stakeholders in the Product Backlog. Those
wanting to change the Product Backlog can do so by trying to convince
the Product Owner.
Scrum Master
The Scrum Master is accountable for establishing Scrum as defined in the
Scrum Guide. They do this by helping everyone understand Scrum theory
and practice, both within the Scrum Team and the organization.
The Scrum Master is accountable for the Scrum Team’s effectiveness. They
do this by enabling the Scrum Team to improve its practices, within the
Scrum framework.
Scrum Masters are true leaders who serve the Scrum Team and the larger
organization.
The Scrum Master serves the Scrum Team in several ways, including:
Coaching the team members in self-management and
cross-functionality;
Helping the Scrum Team focus on creating high-value Increments that
meet the Definition of Done;
Causing the removal of impediments to the Scrum Team’s progress;
and,
Ensuring that all Scrum events take place and are positive,
productive, and kept within the timebox.
The Scrum Master serves the Product Owner in several ways, including:
Helping find techniques for effective Product Goal definition and
Product Backlog management;
Helping the Scrum Team understand the need for clear and concise
Product Backlog items;
Helping establish empirical product planning for a complex
environment; and,
Facilitating stakeholder collaboration as requested or needed.
The Scrum Master serves the organization in several ways, including:
Leading, training, and coaching the organization in its Scrum
adoption;
Planning and advising Scrum implementations within the organization;
Helping employees and stakeholders understand and enact an empirical
approach for complex work; and,
Removing barriers between stakeholders and Scrum Teams.
Scrum Events
The Sprint is a container for all other events. Each event in Scrum is a
formal opportunity to inspect and adapt Scrum artifacts. These events
are specifically designed to enable the transparency required. Failure
to operate any events as prescribed results in lost opportunities to
inspect and adapt. Events are used in Scrum to create regularity and to
minimize the need for meetings not defined in Scrum.
Optimally, all events are held at the same time and place to reduce
complexity.
The Sprint
Sprints are the heartbeat of Scrum, where ideas are turned into value.
They are fixed length events of one month or less to create consistency.
A new Sprint starts immediately after the conclusion of the previous
Sprint.
All the work necessary to achieve the Product Goal, including Sprint
Planning, Daily Scrums, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective, happen
within Sprints.
During the Sprint:
No changes are made that would endanger the Sprint Goal;
Quality does not decrease;
The Product Backlog is refined as needed; and,
Scope may be clarified and renegotiated with the Product Owner as
more is learned.
Sprints enable predictability by ensuring inspection and adaptation of
progress toward a Product Goal at least every calendar month. When a
Sprint’s horizon is too long the Sprint Goal may become invalid,
complexity may rise, and risk may increase. Shorter Sprints can be
employed to generate more learning cycles and limit risk of cost and
effort to a smaller time frame. Each Sprint may be considered a short
project.
Various practices exist to forecast progress, like burn-downs, burn-ups,
or cumulative flows. While proven useful, these do not replace the
importance of empiricism. In complex environments, what will happen is
unknown. Only what has already happened may be used for forward-looking
decision making.
A Sprint could be cancelled if the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete. Only
the Product Owner has the authority to cancel the Sprint.
Sprint Planning
Sprint Planning initiates the Sprint by laying out the work to be
performed for the Sprint. This resulting plan is created by the
collaborative work of the entire Scrum Team.
The Product Owner ensures that attendees are prepared to discuss the
most important Product Backlog items and how they map to the Product
Goal. The Scrum Team may also invite other people to attend Sprint
Planning to provide advice.
Sprint Planning addresses the following topics:
Topic One: Why is this Sprint valuable?
The Product Owner proposes how the product could increase its value and
utility in the current Sprint. The whole Scrum Team then collaborates to
define a Sprint Goal that communicates why the Sprint is valuable to
stakeholders. The Sprint Goal must be finalized prior to the end of
Sprint Planning.
Topic Two: What can be Done this Sprint?
Through discussion with the Product Owner, the Developers select items
from the Product Backlog to include in the current Sprint. The Scrum
Team may refine these items during this process, which increases
understanding and confidence.
Selecting how much can be completed within a Sprint may be challenging.
However, the more the Developers know about their past performance,
their upcoming capacity, and their Definition of Done, the more
confident they will be in their Sprint forecasts.
Topic Three: How will the chosen work get done?
For each selected Product Backlog item, the Developers plan the work
necessary to create an Increment that meets the Definition of Done. This
is often done by decomposing Product Backlog items into smaller work
items of one day or less. How this is done is at the sole discretion of
the Developers. No one else tells them how to turn Product Backlog items
into Increments of value.
The Sprint Goal, the Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint, plus
the plan for delivering them are together referred to as the Sprint
Backlog.
Sprint Planning is timeboxed to a maximum of eight hours for a one-month
Sprint. For shorter Sprints, the event is usually shorter.
Daily Scrum
The purpose of the Daily Scrum is to inspect progress toward the Sprint
Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog as necessary, adjusting the upcoming
planned work.
The Daily Scrum is a 15-minute event for the Developers of the Scrum
Team. To reduce complexity, it is held at the same time and place every
working day of the Sprint. If the Product Owner or Scrum Master are
actively working on items in the Sprint Backlog, they participate as
Developers.
The Developers can select whatever structure and techniques they want,
as long as their Daily Scrum focuses on progress toward the Sprint Goal
and produces an actionable plan for the next day of work. This creates
focus and improves self-management.
Daily Scrums improve communications, identify impediments, promote quick
decision-making, and consequently eliminate the need for other meetings.
The Daily Scrum is not the only time Developers are allowed to adjust
their plan. They often meet throughout the day for more detailed
discussions about adapting or re-planning the rest of the Sprint’s work.
Sprint Review
The purpose of the Sprint Review is to inspect the outcome of the Sprint
and determine future adaptations. The Scrum Team presents the results of
their work to key stakeholders and progress toward the Product Goal is
discussed.
During the event, the Scrum Team and stakeholders review what was
accomplished in the Sprint and what has changed in their environment.
Based on this information, attendees collaborate on what to do next. The
Product Backlog may also be adjusted to meet new opportunities. The
Sprint Review is a working session and the Scrum Team should avoid
limiting it to a presentation.
The Sprint Review is the second to last event of the Sprint and is
timeboxed to a maximum of four hours for a one-month Sprint. For shorter
Sprints, the event is usually shorter.
Sprint Retrospective
The purpose of the Sprint Retrospective is to plan ways to increase
quality and effectiveness.
The Scrum Team inspects how the last Sprint went with regards to
individuals, interactions, processes, tools, and their Definition of
Done. Inspected elements often vary with the domain of work. Assumptions
that led them astray are identified and their origins explored. The
Scrum Team discusses what went well during the Sprint, what problems it
encountered, and how those problems were (or were not) solved.
The Scrum Team identifies the most helpful changes to improve its
effectiveness. The most impactful improvements are addressed as soon as
possible. They may even be added to the Sprint Backlog for the next
Sprint.
The Sprint Retrospective concludes the Sprint. It is timeboxed to a
maximum of three hours for a one-month Sprint. For shorter Sprints, the
event is usually shorter.
Scrum Artifacts
Scrum’s artifacts represent work or value. They are designed to maximize
transparency of key information. Thus, everyone inspecting them has the
same basis for adaptation.
Each artifact contains a commitment to ensure it provides information
that enhances transparency and focus against which progress can be
measured:
For the Product Backlog it is the Product Goal.
For the Sprint Backlog it is the Sprint Goal.
For the Increment it is the Definition of Done.
These commitments exist to reinforce empiricism and the Scrum values for
the Scrum Team and their stakeholders.
Product Backlog
The Product Backlog is an emergent, ordered list of what is needed to
improve the product. It is the single source of work undertaken by the
Scrum Team.
Product Backlog items that can be Done by the Scrum Team within one
Sprint are deemed ready for selection in a Sprint Planning event. They
usually acquire this degree of transparency after refining activities.
Product Backlog refinement is the act of breaking down and further
defining Product Backlog items into smaller more precise items. This is
an ongoing activity to add details, such as a description, order, and
size. Attributes often vary with the domain of work.
The Developers who will be doing the work are responsible for the
sizing. The Product Owner may influence the Developers by helping them
understand and select trade-offs.
Commitment: Product Goal
The Product Goal describes a future state of the product which can serve
as a target for the Scrum Team to plan against. The Product Goal is in
the Product Backlog. The rest of the Product Backlog emerges to define
“what” will fulfill the Product Goal.
A product is a vehicle to deliver value. It has a clear boundary,
known stakeholders, well-defined users or customers. A product could
be a service, a physical product, or something more abstract.
The Product Goal is the long-term objective for the Scrum Team. They
must fulfill (or abandon) one objective before taking on the next.
Sprint Backlog
The Sprint Backlog is composed of the Sprint Goal (why), the set of
Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint (what), as well as an
actionable plan for delivering the Increment (how).
The Sprint Backlog is a plan by and for the Developers. It is a highly
visible, real-time picture of the work that the Developers plan to
accomplish during the Sprint in order to achieve the Sprint Goal.
Consequently, the Sprint Backlog is updated throughout the Sprint as
more is learned. It should have enough detail that they can inspect
their progress in the Daily Scrum.
Commitment: Sprint Goal
The Sprint Goal is the single objective for the Sprint. Although the
Sprint Goal is a commitment by the Developers, it provides flexibility
in terms of the exact work needed to achieve it. The Sprint Goal also
creates coherence and focus, encouraging the Scrum Team to work together
rather than on separate initiatives.
The Sprint Goal is created during the Sprint Planning event and then
added to the Sprint Backlog. As the Developers work during the Sprint,
they keep the Sprint Goal in mind. If the work turns out to be different
than they expected, they collaborate with the Product Owner to negotiate
the scope of the Sprint Backlog within the Sprint without affecting the
Sprint Goal.
Increment
An Increment is a concrete stepping stone toward the Product Goal. Each
Increment is additive to all prior Increments and thoroughly verified,
ensuring that all Increments work together. In order to provide value,
the Increment must be usable.
Multiple Increments may be created within a Sprint. The sum of the
Increments is presented at the Sprint Review thus supporting empiricism.
However, an Increment may be delivered to stakeholders prior to the end
of the Sprint. The Sprint Review should never be considered a gate to
releasing value.
Work cannot be considered part of an Increment unless it meets the
Definition of Done.
Commitment: Definition of Done
The Definition of Done is a formal description of the state of the
Increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product.
The moment a Product Backlog item meets the Definition of Done, an
Increment is born.
The Definition of Done creates transparency by providing everyone a
shared understanding of what work was completed as part of the
Increment. If a Product Backlog item does not meet the Definition of
Done, it cannot be released or even presented at the Sprint Review.
Instead, it returns to the Product Backlog for future consideration.
If the Definition of Done for an increment is part of the standards of
the organization, all Scrum Teams must follow it as a minimum. If it is
not an organizational standard, the Scrum Team must create a Definition
of Done appropriate for the product.
The Developers are required to conform to the Definition of Done. If
there are multiple Scrum Teams working together on a product, they must
mutually define and comply with the same Definition of Done.
End Note
Scrum is free and offered in this Guide. The Scrum framework, as
outlined herein, is immutable. While implementing only parts of Scrum is
possible, the result is not Scrum. Scrum exists only in its entirety and
functions well as a container for other techniques, methodologies, and
practices.
Acknowledgements
People
Of the thousands of people who have contributed to Scrum, we should
single out those who were instrumental at the start: Jeff Sutherland
worked with Jeff McKenna and John Scumniotales, and Ken Schwaber worked
with Mike Smith and Chris Martin, and all of them worked together. Many
others contributed in the ensuing years and without their help Scrum
would not be refined as it is today.
Scrum Guide History
Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland first co-presented Scrum at the OOPSLA
Conference in 1995. It essentially documented the learning that Ken and
Jeff gained over the previous few years and made public the first formal
definition of Scrum.
The Scrum Guide documents Scrum as developed, evolved, and sustained for
30-plus years by Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber. Other sources provide
patterns, processes, and insights that complement the Scrum framework.
These may increase productivity, value, creativity, and satisfaction
with the results.
The complete history of Scrum is described elsewhere. To honor the first
places where it was tried and proven, we recognize Individual Inc.,
Newspage, Fidelity Investments, and IDX (now GE Medical).
© 2020 Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland This publication is offered for license under the Attribution
Share-Alike license of Creative Commons, accessible at
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/legalcode and also
described in summary form at
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/. By utilizing this Scrum
Guide, you acknowledge and agree that you have read and agree to be
bound by the terms of the Attribution Share-Alike license of Creative
Commons.
