Defining the goals to be achieved by a business may sound easy enough, but issues often arise during the process adopted to achieve these goals. This is where the Sprint Backlog comes in.
This methodology is one of the main factors in any Sprint, guiding the team towards understanding and discerning the activities which each member should carry out.
What is a Sprint Backlog?
First of all, let’s define Scrum: a set of best practices used in the management of complex projects in which not all steps or needs are known. Focused on team members, Scrum makes these processes simpler and clearer, by keeping visible records of the progress of all steps.
Within Scrum are three subsections or levels, one of which is the Sprint Backlog.
Simply put, the Sprint Backlog is the list of activities that must be performed during the Sprint. It is created during the Sprint Planning Meeting – which is the first item to be created in the Sprint.
Certain tools can help you define this list of activities, such as a flowchart creator – a diagram that depicts processes, systems and computer algorithms, and can be adapted to describe a variety of processes.
Sprint Backlog components
- The Sprint Backlog should estimate the work and development of the product, and consider development capacity. This part is also at the top of the Product Backlog;
- It should include the Sprint Goal, which defines what items must exist and the efforts to accomplish them, in order to direct team members and their actions;
- It must contain a detailed document outlining the entire delivery plan for the Sprint achievement items.
These are the components of the Sprint Backlog. Once implemented, the sequence of activities to be performed becomes clear, and their division, monitoring and control can take place.
How is the Sprint Backlog built?
First, the tasks are extracted from the Product Backlog, which is elaborated by the Product Owner (PO) and lists all the functionalities that are necessary for a product. The list does not need to be 100% ready at the start of a project, since it evolves over time, just like every other part of the agile mindset.
From all existing activities within the Product Backlog, the team selects the ones they’ll commit to during the Sprint. The team doesn’t make this choice on their own, but rather seeks alignment between the PO’s priorities and the team’s perception of the time available to carry out all necessary tasks.
The Sprint Backlog is nothing more than prioritizing which actions need to be done, and making choices. It is important for teams to accept that they are not always able to deliver everything – and make their Sprint Backlog consistent with their reality.
Implementing the Sprint Backlog
Sprint Backlogs help teams to organize activities and processes to be carried out, and exert greater control over them. But how are they created?
First of all, identify the tasks at hand in the Product Backlog, which is prepared by the Development Team and Product Owner (PO). Projects typically start with a list of demands, followed by lists of activities and tasks, although this can change during the process.
It’s impossible to know everything at the beginning of the process, and new needs tend to arise as activities are carried out, so make sure to update these activities over time.
Having defined the initial activities, outline the responsibilities of each member on the development team, as well as individual deadlines.
Align everything with the development team and the Scrum Master – who is responsible for ensuring that the team is guided by the values and practices of Scrum, making sure that the members do not commit beyond what they can fulfill – so that everyone feels confident and does their best.
Activities should be carried out in order of priority, with deadlines aligned in terms of time and demands.
The most important thing is that team members do not feel overwhelmed, and are able to carry out their activities.
The Sprint is calculated daily and should not remain static. Updates are essential, since some requirements and demands will only become clear over the course of the project.
The to-do list for a Sprint Backlog should include:
- Organization: to avoid distractions, keep deliveries in order and meet deadlines;
- Prioritization: for maximum efficiency, activities must follow the order of priority;
- Updates: stay connected to internal and external issues, saving time for new decision-making where required.
The development team is responsible for maintaining the Sprint Backlog, and have the dominion and authority to do so. This maintenance can be performed through the Task Board, which displays information on all work identified as necessary to achieve the Sprint Goal.
If changes accumulate or become impossible to carry out, this is an indication of flaws in Sprint planning. The estimate of work remaining in the Sprint is calculated daily, as already mentioned.
Throughout the Sprint, the Scrum Master will facilitate deliverables, encourage collaboration, lead meetings and help teams to improve their productivity, while detailing the tasks to be completed in order to understand how much time is still required to complete the remainder.
What is the difference between Sprint Backlog and Product Backlog?
Product Backlog items relate to the features and functionality sought in the product, all of which are listed for easy viewing and tracking. The Sprint Backlog, meanwhile, lists Scrum Team, as well as updates and validations of the sprint review to complete each Sprint.
The Product Backlog contains all product-related tasks which the cross-functional team has agreed to work on, to bring a product to market or to improve it. When these items are placed in order of priority, it details which user stories, features, bug fixes, and other items the development team should work on next.
Here are some more differences between the two:
- The Product Backlog corresponds to the complete backlog of the final product, while the Sprint Backlog refers to the backlog of a certain period;
- The Product Backlog can be reviewed every week, while the Sprint Backlog needs to be reviewed every day;
- The Sprint Backlog uses hours to estimate tasks, rather than story points;
- While the Development Team creates a new Sprint Backlog for each new Sprint, the Product Owner maintains the same Product Backlog throughout.
What are the benefits of implementing the Sprint Backlog?
These two methodologies help to organize and manage https://www.businessupturn.com/, and make better use of resources, time and performance.
This typically leads to an improvement in products or services, maximizing customer experience and satisfaction.
Agile methodology tools are fully focused on transparency, objectivity and goal-oriented actions – in this case, the Sprint goal. They also stimulate relationships throughout the entire team.
This approach lets teams visualize and distribute activities according to the amount of items, skill and consensus of the entire team, enhancing the sense of cooperation and activating the agile sense of each team member.
This in turn nurtures the personal and professional development of everyone working with the Sprint Backlog methodology, leading to ever-improving results.
