• Agile & Scrum Basics

Scrum Sprint Review: The Complete Explanation

There are four Scrum meetings. These Scrum meetings take place in a fixed rhythm. For example, think of the same times of the day or a fixed day in the week.

When working with the Scrum framework, there are always several fixed time frames and periods. We call these “sprints. Each sprint consists of four Scrum meetings:

• Sprint Planning
• Daily Scrum
• Sprint Review
• Sprint Retrospective

In this article, the focus is on the Sprint Review. You will get the complete explanation, benefits and the effect on Scrum role assignment.

What is a Sprint Review?

The Sprint Review is the official moment when team members present the results of the past sprint. One gathers feedback from customers and takes it to the next sprint. Often the customer does not know what he wants until he has seen the product, or part of it.

The input you gather during a Sprint Review is valuable. The Development Team demonstrates the product so that stakeholders understand how it works and can input their wishes for what’s next. The Product Owner also gathers feedback on the vision she has for the product. The feedback is used to create the new Product Backlog Items and adjust priorities on the product backlog. You take this into subsequent sprints.

The Scrum Master facilitates the Scrum meeting and ensures that the Product Owner, as well as other team members, become wiser from the Sprint Review.

The 4 benefits of a good Scrum Sprint Review

Informal meeting

The Sprint Review is an informal meeting in which collaboration between the Scrum Team and Stakeholders is very important. Together they think about the next steps for the product.

Clear purpose

The Sprint Review is not a status meeting, but clearly has a different purpose. Namely, to show the (partial) delivery in order to gather feedback from the customers and/or stakeholders.

Valuable input

This feedback from customers and/or stakeholders can allow for proper adjustment of priorities on the Product Backlog. Or it may actually cause items to be added or removed from the Product Backlog.

Mutual understanding

Because the customers and/or stakeholders are constantly included in the process through the (partial) deliverables, a mutual understanding is created between the members of the Scrum Team and the customers and/or stakeholders. This increases support and understanding!

The Scrum roles during a Sprint Review

Product Owner and the Sprint Review

The Product Owner invites all stakeholders, customers and stakeholders to the Sprint Review. It is then important that everything is completely clear in advance. Why do they need to make time for this? What is their possible added value during the Sprint Review.

The Product Owner takes the floor at the beginning of the meeting and shows which items have been completed by the development team and which have not. Which items are still to-do and which are done? At the end of the meeting, the Product Owner discusses the Product Backlog to bring everyone back into future sprints.

Developers and the Sprint Review

The Developers discuss the work that has been done. What solutions were devised to the challenges? Did they experience certain difficulties? What decisions were made? This is to give the customers and/or stakeholders a clear understanding of the work done and the choices made.

Then the Developers demonstrate the (partial) delivery of the product and answer questions. It’s all about showing tangible results so that customers and stakeholders have an excellent idea of the direction they are taking together.

Scrum Master and the Sprint Review

The Scrum Master attends the Sprint Review and ensures that the Scrum meeting is completed within the established timebox. Often for a full-time 4-week sprint, a 4-hour timebox is established for the Sprint Review.