We do Scrum, but…

Who decides what goes in the Sprint Backlog?

Are you serious? — episode 5

There are several incorrect but common practices related to the Sprint Backlog that raise eyebrows. One of them is this:

Managers, Product Owners, Scrum Masters select the items for the Sprint Backlog and the Development Team is only allowed to agree.

Many people wish to make their mark and influence the Sprint Backlog. From within the Scrum Team and outside the Scrum Team. But who has the final call on what goes into the Sprint?

The manager?

The Scrum Team recognizes the Development Team, the Product Owner and the Scrum Master. A manager could fill one of these roles. For managers that aren’t part of the Scrum Team this is their position:

“The Scrum Team consists of a Product Owner, the Development Team, and a Scrum Master. Scrum Teams are self-organizing and cross-functional. Self-organizing teams choose how best to accomplish their work, rather than being directed by others outside the team.” — SG

So: the manager does not direct how a Scrum Team works. But… does this also mean that the manager doesn’t decide what will be on the Sprint Backlog? Indeed it does not. Another piece of the Scrum Guide brings us a step further:

“The Product Owner is the sole person responsible for managing the Product Backlog.” — SG

And:

“The input to this meeting (the Sprint Planning, WJA) is the Product Backlog, the latest product Increment, projected capacity of the Development Team during the Sprint, and past performance of the Development Team.” — SG

This makes it obvious that the manager does not determine what will be on the Product Backlog. As a result the manager also doesn’t determine what items will be on the Sprint Backlog. But what about the amount of work? Does the manager have a say in that?

“The number of items selected from the Product Backlog for the Sprint is solely up to the Development Team. Only the Development Team can assess what it can accomplish over the upcoming Sprint.” — SG

So that’s a NO. The manager has no say in what is in the Sprint Backlog, but also isn’t the one who determines the number of items, what a Development Team can chew.

The Product Owner?

We already established that the Development Team determines what number of items they can pick up. This means that the Product Owner doesn’t. So what does the Product Owner bring in?

“The Product Owner discusses the objective that the Sprint should achieve and the Product Backlog items that, if completed in the Sprint, would achieve the Sprint Goal.” — SG

OK, so the Product Owner discusses what could be the Sprint Goal and identifies the items that should achieve that Sprint Goal. ‘Discuss’ is not the same as ‘determine’. Who determines it then?

“During Sprint Planning the Scrum Team also crafts a Sprint Goal.” — SG

So the Scrum Team as a whole defines the Sprint Goal.

But beware:

“Having set the Sprint Goal and selected the Product Backlog items for the Sprint, the Development Team decides how it will build this functionality into a “Done” product Increment during the Sprint. The Product Backlog items selected for this Sprint plus the plan for delivering them is called the Sprint Backlog.” — SG

And during the Sprint:

“As new work is required, the Development Team adds it to the Sprint Backlog. As work is performed or completed, the estimated remaining work is updated. When elements of the plan are deemed unnecessary, they are removed. Only the Development Team can change its Sprint Backlog during a Sprint.” — SG

Based on the set Sprint Goal and the selected Backlog items for the Sprint the Development Team creates the plan. We already established that the Development Teams select the number of Backlog Items for the Sprint. The selected Backlog Items and the plan together make the Sprint Backlog.

It’s the Development Team who determines the Sprint Backlog!

So it’s the following:

• The Product Owner brings forward the objectives that the Sprint should achieve and the Product Backlog Items that would help achieve these objectives.
• The Development Team forecasts the capacity.
• The Scrum team crafts a Sprint Goal.
• The Development Team selects the Product Backlog Items that will help to meet the Sprint Goal based on the input from the Product Owner.
• The Development Team creates the plan for delivering the selected Product Backlog Items.
• The Product Backlog items selected for this Sprint plus the plan for delivering them is called the Sprint Backlog.

There are numerous ways a Sprint Planning can play out, here is an example:

The Product Owner brings forward what she wants to achieve next Sprint.

Members of the Development Team indicate that the projected capacity is a bit lower than normal because one of them will have some days off. As a result they forecast they can only pick up 4 items where 5 is the average.

This leads to a discussion which items should be selected and based on this the Scrum Team determines the Sprint Goal. The Sprint Goal gives the team enough flexibility and the Sprint Goal enables the team to work together towards the goal.

The Development Team now crafts a Sprint Backlog which consists of a selection of the Product Backlog Items and the plan to achieve the Sprint Goal. The Development Team could choose to select 4 Product Backlog Items to cover the expected capacity on the coming Sprint. They could also choose to decompose only the item(s) that they will work on first. During the Sprint, when the first item(s) is/are finished, they can then pull another item into the Sprint Backlog.

Does the manager -or any other stakeholder- have no say at all?

The manager and other stakeholders can participate in the Sprint Review.

During the Sprint Review, the Scrum Team and stakeholders collaborate about what was done in the Sprint. Based on that and any changes to the Product Backlog during the Sprint, attendees collaborate on the next things that could be done to optimize value. — SG

The Sprint Review is the obvious place to collaborate on the next things to be done. But as said before: the Product Owner manages the Product Backlog with help from the development team and scrum master, no one else.

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