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What best defines Sprint Backlog as a result of Sprint Planning between two?

Last post 07:20 pm December 14, 2020 by Thomas Owens
1 reply
JAYANTO BHATTACHARYA
02:30 pm December 14, 2020

What best defines Sprint Backlog as a result of Sprint Planning between two?

> Sprint Backlog contains a complete list of all the works that need to be done in a Sprint

> Sprint Backlog is the Development Team's plan for the Sprint.

 

If we need to prioritize, which one will you keep at the 1st priority among two. 

Thomas Owens
07:20 pm December 14, 2020

What is the source for this question? Neither answer is good. If you're using this as some kind of training material for a certification exam or training course, I'd probably want to dig deeper into the other content as well to make sure that it's accurate.

The November 2020 edition of the Scrum Guide has a clear, concise definition of the 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 first option - that the Sprint Backlog is a "complete list of all the works that need to be done in a Sprint" - seems to be an output-centric definition. The primary objective of the Scrum Team is not to complete a set of work items in a Sprint Backlog, but to achieve the Sprint Goal crafted during Sprint Planning. In addition, the Sprint Backlog may emerge throughout the Sprint. Although Product Backlog Items are selected for the Sprint Backlog at Sprint Planning, they may not be fully decomposed until later in the Sprint. The only time that the Sprint Backlog is complete is at the end of the Sprint.

The second choice - that the Sprint Backlog is the plan for the Sprint - is an oversimplification. The plan is only part of the Sprint Backlog. The Sprint Goal and the selected Product Backlog Items are the other. If I had to choose one answer, I'd probably pick this one. I'd also point out that the term "Development Team" is from older versions of the Scrum Guide. The November 2020 edition changes "Development Team" to "Developers" to remove the team-within-a-team mindset that the older wording invoked.

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