Sprint Backlog

The Sprint Backlog is one of the 3 Scrum artifacts. It is the set of Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint, plus a plan for delivering the Increment and realising the Sprint Goal. It is created in Sprint Planning and updated throughout the Sprint.

The Sprint Backlog represents a forecast by the Developers about what valuable work will be in the next Increment. It makes visible all the work that the Developers identify as necessary to meet the Sprint Goal. The Sprint Backlog has enough detail to inspect progress by Developers at the Daily Scrum.

The Developers modify the Sprint Backlog throughout the Sprint, and it will further emerge during the Sprint. This emergence occurs as the Developers work through the plan and learn more about the work needed to achieve the Sprint Goal.

As new work relating to the current Sprint Goal is identified, the Developers add it to the Sprint Backlog. This is made transparent in the Sprint Backlog as work is performed or completed. When elements of the plan are deemed unnecessary, they are removed.

This does not mean scope can be permitted to continually increase if it will make achieving the Sprint Goal impossible. The Developers are accountable for changes to the Sprint Backlog during a Sprint. They get the final decision on what changes can be made.

If all the work in the Sprint Backlog is Done before the end of the Sprint, the Developers can decide how to use the remaining time best. Commonly, they would plan with the Product Owner and pull more work that they forecast can be Done by the end of the Sprint from the Product Backlog into the Sprint Backlog. Alternatively, the Developers may use the time to carry out process improvement work identified in the Sprint Retrospective or to refine the Product Backlog.

The Sprint Backlog is a highly visible, real-time picture of the work that the Developers plan to accomplish during the Sprint, and it belongs to the Developers. It may help to think of the Sprint Backlog as the plan for the Sprint. It is what the Developers plan and how they will do it. The “why” behind what they hope to achieve comes from the Sprint Goal, a commitment to and part of the Sprint Backlog.

The Sprint Backlog will change as better ways are discovered to achieve the Sprint Goal. This is normal and natural and to be encouraged. Flexibility is often built into a Sprint Backlog to allow for unpredictability. This may include leaving unallocated time for limited changes to scope, unplanned support requests or other factors that cannot be predicted fully at Sprint Planning.

The Sprint Backlog is a short-term, adaptable plan designed to help the Developers manage the work inside the Sprint. It is a transparent view of the present work planned and in progress.