Creating the Sprint Backlog

The Sprint Backlog is defined as a group of user stories that are grouped together during the Sprint Planning Meeting.  This final grouping represents what the development team believes they can complete during the defined sprint time-frame.

The Product Backlog contains a listing of the work items, or epics, that the Product Owner wants to be completed.  The Scrum Master will work with the team during the Sprint Planning Meeting to break each work item down into individual tasks or cards, each with its own self-contained user story.

Any work items that do not make it into the Sprint Backlog are placed back into the Product Backlog until the team is ready to start the planning process for the next sprint or development iteration.

Not only does the Sprint Backlog define the user stories or individual tasks that will be tackled, it also defines the effort (hours or points) for each user story and creates a plan for delivery.  This way, when a card is assigned, the Scrum Master can also estimate the work effort or hours being assigned to each team member and manage the workload accordingly.

For the sprint to be considered complete, each of the tasks must be in a usable/presentable condition and meet the previously defined definition of ‘done.’  Any task that is incomplete will either need to be resolved before the sprint can be closed or it will need to be redefined and placed into the next sprint.

Recommended Further Reading

The following materials may assist you in order to get the most out of this course: