The 3 Scrum Artifacts:
Quick Guide to Enhance Performance
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Scrum is a framework for teams to approach complex problems and generate a product in an optimized way. Scrum artifacts are part of the Scrum framework. These are documents that help the Scrum team to achieve the Sprint Goal (the result of a Sprint). A Sprint is a block of 1 to 4 weeks of planning that guides the development of a product or its features.
Scrum Artifacts
Scrum helps teams simplify the process of developing products ranging from an entire company to a specific software tool. Scrum uses several tools to achieve this; one of them is artifacts. The Scrum artifacts help people on the Scrum Team achieve the goals set in the different Scrum events.
The Scrum Artifacts also help the Scrum team fulfill the three pillars of Scrum: transparency, inspection, and adaptation. The artifacts are designed to maximize communication among team members and to clarify the process.
The Scrum Artifacts provide information about the activities, the product’s development, and the criteria used to determine when a product is ‘Done’, often supported by clear acceptance criteria and the plan to be executed.
According to Scrum’s official guide, there are three Scrum artifacts:
Product Backlog
One of the members of the Scrum Team is the Product Owner. The Product Owner is the only one responsible for managing the Product Backlog. Each product must have a Product Backlog, which is dynamic because it changes continuously with the development process. When the product is reviewed, the Product Backlog receives feedback and grows, enabling the product to adapt to the market correctly.
Therefore, a Product Backlog is a prioritized list of items or features needed in order to reach the final product. High-priority items receive more detail in the Product Backlog, while features further down the list have fewer details.
All the items in the Product Backlog should be “Done” at the end of the Sprint. The features that aren’t complete at the end of the Sprint will be analyzed and added to the next Sprint’s Backlog according to the Product Owner’s criteria.
As previously mentioned, the Product Owner is responsible for managing the Product Backlog. This includes ensuring the items in the list are clear and transparent, correctly prioritizing them to optimize the process, and ensuring everyone on the Scrum Team understands the items in the Product Backlog.
Sprint Backlog
Another part of the Scrum Team is the Development Team. The Development Team is a group of five to nine people who work together to achieve the Sprint Goal. They decide how many items from the Product Backlog can be done in a Sprint. This is called the Sprint Backlog.
The Sprint Backlog is a list of Product Backlog items that can be “Done” in the Sprint, with a detailed plan for how they will be achieved.
The Sprint Backlog is detailed enough to understand what has to be done on a daily basis. Only the Development Team can modify a Sprint Backlog; they do so when items in the list are finished and unnecessary items are removed. The Development Team also keeps track of the Sprint Backlog to determine whether they will reach the Sprint Goal and to adjust it accordingly if impediments are identified.
Increment
The Increment is the sum of all the Product Backlog’s items completed during a Sprint. If at the end of the Sprint, the Sprint Goal satisfies the Scrum Team’s definition of Done, then it is considered an increment. The increments represent the goals that were achieved during each Sprint. At the end of each Sprint, the Increment must be usable, and then the Product Owners decide whether it will be released.
Understanding and effectively managing Scrum artifacts is key to delivering high-quality products and improving team performance. If you’re looking to structure your product from the ground up, explore our Product Discovery Solutions for Software Development.
