Sprint Reviews

What is a sprint review meeting?

In Agile project management, a sprint review is an informal meeting held at the end of a sprint, in which the Scrum team shows what was accomplished during this period. This typically takes the form of a demonstration of new features, with the goal of creating transparency, fostering collaboration, and generating feedback.

The purpose of a Scrum sprint review is not to provide a status update or make a presentation to stakeholders; it is to collect and absorb feedback on the actual product increment—which is the sum of all backlog items completed during the sprint. If needed, the sprint review group will adapt the backlog going forward, in order to maximize efficiency in sprints to come.

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Sprint review meeting agenda.

There are many ways to conduct a Scrum sprint review. But, in general, the sprint review agenda would include:

• Reviewing the goal for the sprint

• Demonstrating new features implemented during the sprint

• Requesting feedback from the stakeholders

• Discussing work not yet accomplished

• Identifying risks and impediments

• Reviewing project increment objectives

• Looking ahead to the next sprint, using the top lines from the product backlog

Generally, the Scrum Master facilitates the sprint review, and the product owner gives the demo. However, sometimes, team members are called upon to do demos. The product owner explains what backlog items have been done and which are undone. (“Done” means the work just completed has the potential to be shipped or is ready for implementation by the user. It has been thoroughly designed, planned, coded, tested, debugged, and documented.)

The largest part of the sprint review meeting involves the Scrum team processing feedback from stakeholders and its team members on the product increment. 

After the development team discusses what did and didn’t go well during the sprint—the problems encountered and how they were solved—they will demonstrate the work that has been done and answer any questions about the increment.

Overall, the team is looking to get answers to questions, such as:

• What did users like or dislike?

• What didn’t they understand?

• What things would they like changed or eliminated?

• Are there features they would like added?

• Do they have any tips about how the Scrum team could do their job better?

After the product owner discusses the product backlog as it now stands and estimates likely delivery dates based on progress thus far, the entire group collaborates on what to do next, reviewing:

• Any shifts in the marketplace and potential uses of the product

• The timeline, budget, potential capabilities, and marketplace for the next anticipated releases of the product

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Common sprint review questions.

Who runs a sprint review meeting?

The sprint review is usually attended by the Scrum Master, the Scrum team, the product owner, and the internal and external stakeholders. The product owner runs and manages the review process, while the Scrum Master ensures that the event takes place and everyone understands its purpose.

What is the purpose of a sprint review?

The purpose of the sprint review meeting is for the development team to show the stakeholders the work they have accomplished over the sprint and compare it to what they set out to do at the beginning of the sprint. 

How long is a sprint review meeting?

While a Scrum sprint meeting doesn’t have a fixed time limit, a sprint review will generally last an hour for each week of a sprint, so one hour for one week, two hours for two weeks, three hours for three weeks, and so on.

The Scrum Master should timebox the meeting, defining and limiting the time allotted to each item of the agenda, to keep things focused and on schedule.

What should be discussed in a sprint review?

The product owner explains the backlog items that have and haven’t been completed during the sprint. After the development team discusses what went well and didn’t go well, they demonstrate the work that was done and answer any questions and receive feedback about their work. The whole group collaborates on the next steps, providing valuable input for the upcoming sprint planning meeting.

What is the goal of a sprint review?

The goal of a sprint review is to ensure that a potentially shippable product increment has been produced during the sprint—the team has created a coded, tested, and usable piece of software.

What’s the difference between a sprint review and retrospective?

Another Scrum ceremony, the sprint retrospective meeting, comes after the sprint review. While the Agile sprint review is focused on examining what the team is building, the sprint retrospective concentrates on how it is being built.

The sprint retrospective is a formal opportunity for the Scrum team to fine-tune the development process, provide their ideas, and voice their opinions, discussing what worked well during the sprint and what needs to be adjusted. The group will ask themselves, “What can be done to make the team and how it works more productive?” 

A path to your next successful sprint review.

A sprint review is vital to the Scrum methodology as it’s an occasion to pause, reflect, and celebrate the team’s accomplishments; gather feedback to inform future sprints; and enable everyone to go forward with renewed purpose and shared commitment.