SkarpChapter 10 of 21
Sprint Review: Inspecting the Increment and Adapting the Product Backlog
Join the Scrum Team and stakeholders at Sprint Review to inspect the latest Increment, gather feedback, and adapt the Product Backlog in response to new information.
Big Picture: What Is the Sprint Review?
Purpose of Sprint Review
Sprint Review is the main inspect-and-adapt event for product direction. It happens at the end of each Sprint and focuses on the Increment and the Product Backlog.
What Actually Happens
The Scrum Team and stakeholders inspect the Increment, discuss what was done in the Sprint, gather feedback, and decide how to adapt the Product Backlog and product plans.
What It Is Not
Sprint Review is not a sign-off ceremony, not a status meeting, and not a retrospective. It is a collaborative working session about the product, not about team performance.
Timebox and Exam Hooks
For a one-month Sprint the Sprint Review is timeboxed to 4 hours. Shorter Sprints usually have shorter reviews. Key exam hook: purpose, attendees, and updated Product Backlog as output.
Who Attends and What They Bring
Who Must Be There
Sprint Review includes the Scrum Team (Product Owner, Scrum Master, Developers) and relevant stakeholders such as customers, users, and sponsors.
Product Owner’s Role
The Product Owner explains the Product Goal, what Product Backlog items were completed, and what might come next, always focusing on maximizing product value.
Developers and Scrum Master
Developers demonstrate the Increment and answer questions. The Scrum Master ensures the event happens, stays within timebox, and keeps its purpose clear.
Stakeholders’ Role
Stakeholders actively give feedback, share market or user insights, and help adjust direction. They are collaborators, not a passive audience.
Structure and Flow of a Good Sprint Review
Typical Agenda
A helpful flow: 1) refresh Product Goal and metrics, 2) summarize Sprint and completed work, 3) inspect the Increment, 4) discuss market and new info, 5) adapt the Product Backlog, 6) confirm next direction.
Inspecting the Increment
Developers walk through the Increment that meets the Definition of Done, while stakeholders explore it, ask questions, and provide feedback based on real behavior.
Adapting the Product Backlog
The Product Owner, with input from everyone, reorders the Product Backlog, adds or removes items, and adjusts priorities based on what was learned.
Watch for Anti‑Patterns
On PSM I, be wary of answers that turn Sprint Review into slide-only status reporting, sign-off ceremonies, or meetings that never change the Product Backlog.
Empiricism in Action: Transparency, Inspection, Adaptation
Transparency at Review
Transparency: show a real, usable Increment, be clear about what is Done and not Done, and share data and Product Backlog ordering openly with stakeholders.
Inspection with Stakeholders
Inspection: everyone examines the Increment, progress toward the Product Goal, and key assumptions. They check if the product really solves user problems.
Adaptation of Product Direction
Adaptation: the Product Owner updates the Product Backlog, possibly revising Product Goal or priorities based on evidence from the Increment and the market.
Link to Other Events
Other events adapt plans or process; Sprint Review is the main event that adapts product direction and the Product Backlog in response to inspected evidence.
Case Study: Inspecting the Increment and Updating the Product Backlog
Banking App Scenario
A Scrum Team builds a mobile banking app. Product Goal: increase active mobile users by 30% through fast, secure everyday banking on mobile.
Reviewing the Increment
At Sprint Review, the team demos a new recurring payments feature. Stakeholders use it on devices, raising usability and compliance questions.
Learning from Feedback
Stakeholders find scheduling easy but editing awkward, and report a competitor’s new feature. This is new information about user needs and the market.
Adapting the Backlog
The Product Owner adds and reorders Product Backlog items to improve editing and quick re-scheduling, pushing them above lower-value work like dark mode.
Sprint Review vs Sprint Retrospective: Do Not Mix Them Up
Different Focus
Sprint Review focuses on the product and Product Backlog. Sprint Retrospective focuses on the process, tools, interactions, and Definition of Done.
Who Attends
Sprint Review: Scrum Team plus stakeholders. Sprint Retrospective: Scrum Team only; stakeholders do not attend.
Outputs
Review output: updated Product Backlog and product direction. Retro output: specific improvement actions for how the team works in the next Sprint.
Exam Clues
Stakeholder feedback on features → Review. Team-only discussion about defects, communication, or tools → Retrospective.
Thought Exercise: Appropriate vs Inappropriate Review Activities
Work through these scenarios mentally. For each, decide if it is appropriate in a Sprint Review, inappropriate, or better suited to another event.
- Scenario A: The Product Owner walks through the Product Backlog item by item, reading status from a spreadsheet, without showing the working product.
- Ask yourself: Does this align with inspecting the Increment? Or is it just status reporting?
- Scenario B: A customer representative uses the new feature live, gets confused, and suggests a simpler workflow. The Product Owner asks clarifying questions and captures a new Product Backlog item.
- Is this collaborative product feedback? Does it lead to Product Backlog adaptation?
- Scenario C: The team spends 30 minutes discussing why two Developers had a conflict and how they felt ignored.
- Is this about product direction, or is it about team interactions and working agreements?
- Scenario D: The Scrum Master reminds everyone of the 4‑hour timebox for a one‑month Sprint and gently stops a stakeholder from turning the Review into a detailed project plan for the next 6 months.
- Is this supporting Scrum and keeping the event within purpose and timebox?
- Scenario E: After inspecting the Increment, stakeholders agree the Product Goal no longer reflects market reality. The Product Owner proposes a new Product Goal and updates the Product Backlog accordingly.
- Is changing the Product Goal allowed? Does Sprint Review support such big adaptations?
Pause and answer these before moving on. On the exam, quickly labeling activities as "Review", "Retrospective", or "anti‑pattern" is a powerful skill.
Quiz 1: Purpose and Timebox
Check your understanding of the Sprint Review’s purpose and timebox.
Which statement best describes the primary purpose of the Sprint Review?
- To inspect the Increment and collaborate with stakeholders to adapt the Product Backlog and product direction.
- To evaluate individual Developer performance and decide bonuses based on completed work.
- To allow the Scrum Master to collect status updates and report progress to senior management.
- To finalize the Sprint Backlog for the next Sprint and assign tasks to Developers.
Show Answer
Answer: A) To inspect the Increment and collaborate with stakeholders to adapt the Product Backlog and product direction.
The Sprint Review exists to inspect the Increment and decide what to do next with the product, adapting the Product Backlog as needed. It is not for performance evaluation, status reporting, or planning the Sprint Backlog (that happens in Sprint Planning).
Quiz 2: Who Attends and What Happens
Test who should be in the room and what should occur in a Sprint Review.
During a Sprint Review for a one‑month Sprint, which of the following sets of activities is MOST appropriate?
- The Scrum Team and stakeholders inspect the working Increment, discuss changes in the market, and update the Product Backlog ordering together.
- The Scrum Team meets without stakeholders to discuss how to improve their Definition of Done and communication practices.
- The Product Owner presents a slide deck with status percentages, but the Increment is not shown because it is not fully complete.
- The Scrum Master leads a detailed task assignment session for the next Sprint while stakeholders observe.
Show Answer
Answer: A) The Scrum Team and stakeholders inspect the working Increment, discuss changes in the market, and update the Product Backlog ordering together.
Option A matches the Sprint Review’s purpose: inspect the Increment with stakeholders, consider market changes, and adapt the Product Backlog. Option B describes a Sprint Retrospective. Option C hides the Increment, reducing transparency. Option D mixes Review with Sprint Planning and misuses the Scrum Master role.
Flashcards: Core Sprint Review Concepts
Use these flashcards to reinforce key terms and distinctions related to the Sprint Review.
- Purpose of Sprint Review
- To inspect the outcome of the Sprint (the Increment) and determine future adaptations by collaborating with stakeholders, primarily by updating the Product Backlog and product direction.
- Timebox for Sprint Review (one‑month Sprint)
- A maximum of 4 hours. For shorter Sprints, the Sprint Review is usually shorter.
- Who attends the Sprint Review?
- The entire Scrum Team (Product Owner, Scrum Master, Developers) and invited stakeholders who are needed to provide feedback and collaborate on product direction.
- Main output of Sprint Review
- An updated Product Backlog that reflects the latest information about the product, market, and environment, potentially including changes to priorities or even the Product Goal.
- Difference: Sprint Review vs Sprint Retrospective (focus)
- Sprint Review: focuses on the product and Product Backlog. Sprint Retrospective: focuses on how the work is done (process, tools, team interactions, and Definition of Done).
- Role of stakeholders in Sprint Review
- They actively inspect the Increment, give feedback, share market and user insights, and collaborate with the Product Owner to influence Product Backlog ordering and product direction.
- Empiricism at Sprint Review
- The event creates transparency (showing the Increment and data), enables inspection (of product and progress toward Product Goal), and supports adaptation (updating the Product Backlog and direction).
- Appropriate activity in Sprint Review
- Demonstrating the Increment that meets the Definition of Done and collaboratively updating the Product Backlog based on stakeholder feedback and new information.
- Inappropriate activity in Sprint Review
- Evaluating individual performance, conducting a detailed team-only process discussion, or using it only for slide-based status reporting without showing the Increment.
Mini Scenario Drill: Spot the Exam Trap
Apply what you have learned to exam-style situations. For each, decide what a Scrum Master or Product Owner should do, and which event (if any) is being confused.
- Stakeholders want sign‑off
- Scenario: At the end of the Sprint Review, a stakeholder says, "We must officially sign off every completed Product Backlog item here; otherwise, it is not Done."
- Your task: Decide how the Scrum Master should respond. Hint: think about the Definition of Done and the nature of the Increment.
- No stakeholders show up
- Scenario: Stakeholders repeatedly skip the Sprint Review. The Product Owner feels they already know what customers want and stops inviting stakeholders.
- Your task: Identify why this is harmful to empiricism and what should change.
- Turning Review into Retrospective
- Scenario: During Sprint Review, a Developer starts a long discussion about how pair programming could reduce bugs and how daily communication feels rushed.
- Your task: Decide whether this belongs in the Review, Retrospective, or both, and how to redirect without shutting down improvement ideas.
- Fixing the next Sprint scope
- Scenario: A manager uses the Sprint Review to dictate the exact items the team must take in the next Sprint, locking scope for the next two months.
- Your task: Reflect on how this affects self‑management and adaptation. Which event should be used to decide the next Sprint’s work, and who owns that decision?
Write down brief answers or say them out loud. Then compare them mentally with the core principles: empiricism, self‑managing Scrum Team, and the specific purposes of each Scrum event. This kind of reasoning is exactly what PSM I expects.
Key Terms
- Scrum
- Scrum is a lightweight framework that helps people, teams and organizations generate value through adaptive solutions for complex problems.
- Sprint
- Sprints are the heartbeat of Scrum, where ideas are turned into value.
- Increment
- An Increment is a concrete stepping stone toward the Product Goal.
- Developers
- Developers are the people in the Scrum Team that are committed to creating any aspect of a usable Increment each Sprint.
- Scrum Team
- The Scrum Team is a cohesive unit of professionals focused on one objective at a time, the Product Goal.
- empiricism
- Scrum is founded on empiricism and lean thinking.
- Sprint Goal
- The Sprint Goal is the single objective for the Sprint.
- Product Goal
- The Product Goal describes a future state of the product which can serve as a target for the Scrum Team to plan against.
- Scrum Master
- The Scrum Master is accountable for establishing Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide.
- Product Owner
- The Product Owner is accountable for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Scrum Team.
- Sprint Review
- Scrum event held at the end of the Sprint where the Scrum Team and stakeholders inspect the Increment, discuss what was done and what changed in the environment, and adapt the Product Backlog accordingly.
- 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).
- Product Backlog
- The Product Backlog is an emergent, ordered list of what is needed to improve the product.
- Definition of Done
- The Definition of Done is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product.
- Sprint Retrospective
- Scrum event held after the Sprint Review and before the next Sprint Planning, where the Scrum Team inspects how the last Sprint went in terms of individuals, interactions, processes, tools, and Definition of Done, and plans improvements.