Sprint Review Strategies
The purpose of the Sprint Review is to inspect the outcome of the Sprint and determine future adaptations. The Scrum Team presents the results of their work to key stakeholders, and progress toward the Product Goal is discussed.
Scrum Teams should aim to keep the Sprint Review as informal as possible. It should not require huge preparation, and polished presentations should typically be avoided in favour of focusing on the Increment and the Product Backlog directly.
A good practice can be to carry out a hands-on inspection of the Increment by stakeholders rather than a passive demonstration. That way, people get to use the Increment, which typically leads to better feedback from a wider group. This will require more careful facilitation but can significantly improve the effectiveness of the Sprint Review.
Scrum tells us what to do but not how to do it. This is deliberate to encourage Scrum Teams to come up with and, over time, improve how they run the Scrum events. To understand what a Sprint Review might look like, here is a sample agenda:
Welcome and Setting the Context (5-15 minutes)
- Scrum Master welcomes participants.
- Recap of the purpose of the Sprint Review.
- Explanation of the agenda.
- Product Owner shares product vision, Product Goal and Sprint Goal.
Inspection of the Increment (15-45 minutes)
- An overview of which Product Backlog items (PBIs) were Done during the Sprint.
- Hands-on inspection of the Increment. Stakeholders use the Increment. Developers guide and support them as they do this.
Discussion and Feedback (15-30 minutes)
- Stakeholders share their feedback and insights on the Increment.
- Insights that will add value to the product are added to the Product Backlog.
- More detailed discussions can be identified to take place later.
Review of the Product Backlog (10-20 minutes)
- Product Owner presents the current Product Backlog and any significant changes.
- Provide an overview of potential Product Backlog items and goal for the next Sprint. Take feedback from stakeholders.
Roadmap and Next Steps (5-10 minutes)
- Product Owners share the latest product roadmap.
- Update on milestone dates, the next planned release and budget (as appropriate).
- Closing (5 minutes)
- Thank everyone for their attendance and feedback.
The Sprint Review is timeboxed to a maximum of 4 hours. A common practice is to shorten this timebox for shorter Sprints proportionally. In my experience, most Scrum Teams complete their Sprint Reviews in 1 – 2 hours. Adjust the timing for each agenda item based on your needs.