Scrum - Lesson 5: Artifacts | Andros Fenollosa

Scrum's artifacts are divided into 3 elements. You should understand them and use them as tools that help you during the Scrum events, facilitating transparency and inspection.

They all have an associated commitment that guarantees their value and usefulness.

Artifact	Commitment
Product Backlog	Product Goal
Sprint Backlog	Sprint Goal
Increment	Definition of Done

Product Backlog

We define the "what" of the project, what is going to be built, through the Product Backlog. It is a prioritized list of everything needed for the product. The Product Owner is responsible for managing it, ensuring it is visible, transparent, and clear to everyone.

It contains all the features, functions, requirements, improvements, and fixes needed for the product. Each task in the Product Backlog must have:

A clear and concise description.
A prioritization, or order of importance.
An estimate of the effort needed to complete it.

The items in the Product Backlog are dynamic and can change as more information about the product and its users is gathered.

Sprint Backlog

We define the "why", why this Sprint, through the Sprint Backlog. It is a list of tasks selected from the Product Backlog that the team commits to completing during the Sprint. The Sprint Backlog is created during the Sprint planning meeting and is owned by the Development Team.

If there are changes or unforeseen events, the Development Team can negotiate the scope with the Product Owner without affecting the Sprint Goal.

Increment

We define the "how", how value is going to be delivered, through the Increment. It is the sum of all the Product Backlog items completed during a Sprint and the previous Sprints.

Each Increment must be:

Verified: tested and reviewed to ensure it meets the requirements and the Definition of Done.
Compatible with other future increments.
Value-adding: it must be usable and provide value to the end user.
Usable: it must be in a state that allows its use or deployment.

Several increments can be produced during a Sprint, and they are presented at the Sprint Review to the Stakeholders.

Now that we have seen the artifacts, let's explore some common metrics in Scrum.