The 3 Scrum Artifacts:

Scrum helps teams simplify the process of developing products, ranging from entire companies to specific software tools. Scrum uses several tools to achieve this; one of them is artifacts. The Scrum artifacts help the Scrum Team achieve the goals set in the various 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 activities, product development, and the criteria used to determine when a product is ‘Done’, often supported by clear acceptance criteria and a plan to be executed.

According to Scrum’s official guide, there are three Scrum artifacts:

One member 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 and evolves continuously throughout 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. Features that aren’t complete at the end of the Sprint will be analyzed and added to the next Sprint’s Backlog based on 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.    

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 to achieve them. 

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 tracks the Sprint Backlog to determine whether they will meet the Sprint Goal and to adjust it accordingly if impediments are identified.

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 the Product Owners then decide whether to release it.

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.

Learn more about Scrum here