Scrum Artifacts and Commitments
Three artifacts, three commitments
Artifacts represent work or value and maximize transparency. Each has a commitment that reinforces focus:
- Product Backlog → Product Goal. An emergent, ordered list of what is needed to improve the product. The Product Goal is the long-term objective the team plans against.
- Sprint Backlog → Sprint Goal. The Sprint Backlog is the Sprint Goal (why), selected items (what), and the plan (how). It is by and for Developers and updated throughout the Sprint.
- Increment → Definition of Done. An Increment is a concrete stepping stone toward the Product Goal; multiple Increments may exist within a Sprint. The Definition of Done is the formal description of quality state; if an item does not meet it, it is not part of the Increment and returns to the backlog.
Traps
- Pairing the wrong commitment with an artifact (e.g., Definition of Done with the Product Backlog).
- Treating the Product Backlog as a fixed, fully refined list; it is emergent and ordered by value.
- Letting anyone but Developers modify the Sprint Backlog mid-Sprint.
- Assuming a Definition of Done is optional or organization-mandated only; if the organization has one, teams must use it as a minimum.
- Believing an Increment must be released each Sprint; it must be usable and done, release is a business choice.
Rule of thumb
Commitment = the goal the artifact points toward. Backlog→Product Goal, Sprint Backlog→Sprint Goal, Increment→Definition of Done. Memorize this triad; many questions hinge on it.
Worked example
A team completes work that does not meet the Definition of Done. Correct reasoning: it is not an Increment; it returns to the Product Backlog for later consideration and is not presented as done.