PST key terms

A way of managing complex work by making decisions from what is observed rather than from a fixed plan. Scrum applies it through transparency, inspection, and adaptation so that each increment informs the next decision.

The property that important aspects of the work and its outcomes are visible and understood by the people accountable for them. Without shared visibility, inspection produces misleading conclusions and adaptation becomes guesswork.

The deliberate, frequent examination of Scrum artifacts and progress toward agreed goals. It surfaces variance and problems early, but only works well when the thing being inspected is genuinely transparent.

Adjusting the process, the plan, or the product when inspection reveals an unacceptable deviation or a better option. It happens continuously in small steps and formally at events such as the Daily Scrum and Sprint Retrospective.

A property of work where cause and effect are only clear in hindsight, so predicting outcomes from plans is unreliable. Scrum is designed for this condition, using short cycles and frequent feedback instead of exhaustive upfront analysis.

Commitment, Focus, Openness, Respect, and Courage. These five qualities guide behavior and decisions; when a team lives them, the pillars of transparency, inspection, and adaptation become trustworthy rather than nominal.

A group that decides internally who does what, when, and how, rather than being directed by an outside manager. In Scrum this describes the Developers, who own their own work organization toward the Sprint Goal.

A team holding all the skills needed to deliver a valuable increment without depending on people outside the team. It reduces handoffs and waiting, and it is a structural expectation for Developers in Scrum.

The single accountable person for maximizing product value. They own the Product Backlog, order it, express Product Backlog items clearly, and decide what the team works on next, while remaining one person rather than a committee.

The accountable person for establishing Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide and for the team's effectiveness. They serve the team and the wider organization through teaching, coaching, facilitation, and removal of impediments.

The people in the Scrum Team who create the increment each Sprint. They self-manage their work, adapt the plan daily toward the Sprint Goal, and hold one another accountable for quality and for the Definition of Done.

A small, cohesive unit of one Scrum Master, one Product Owner, and Developers, typically ten or fewer people. It is cross-functional and self-managing, and it delivers value iteratively without sub-teams or hierarchy.

A fixed-length iteration of one month or less in which a usable increment is created. It is the container for all other Scrum events, and its consistent cadence creates the rhythm for inspection and adaptation.

The event that opens a Sprint and produces a shared plan. It addresses why the Sprint is valuable, what can be done, and how the work will be organized, resulting in a Sprint Goal and a committed set of backlog items.

A fifteen-minute event for the Developers, held every working day of the Sprint, to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the plan. Its structure is chosen by the Developers rather than prescribed.

A working session at the end of the Sprint where the team and stakeholders inspect the increment, discuss progress toward the Product Goal, and adapt the Product Backlog. It is a collaboration, not a formal sign-off gate.

The closing event of the Sprint, where the team inspects how it worked and identifies the most useful improvements. It focuses on effectiveness, collaboration, and process, and produces concrete actions for the next Sprint.

An emergent, ordered list of what is needed to improve the product. It is the single source of work for the Scrum Team, and its ordering reflects value, risk, and dependency rather than being a fixed contract.

The set of Product Backlog items selected for a Sprint together with the plan for delivering them. It is a living picture of the work, updated as the team learns, and it belongs to the Developers.

A concrete, usable step toward the Product Goal, produced each Sprint. Every increment is additive to previous ones, must meet the Definition of Done, and should be in a state that could be delivered to users.

A single objective for the Sprint that gives the team coherence and focus. It is a commitment made during Sprint Planning, and it is the reference point for daily adaptation and for judging Sprint success.

A longer-term description of the future state of the product that the team is working toward. It provides direction for ordering the Product Backlog and a target against which each increment can be assessed.

A shared, explicit checklist of quality criteria an increment must satisfy to count as complete. It makes transparency real, prevents unfinished work from accumulating, and is agreed by the team and organization together.

The ongoing activity of breaking down, clarifying, and re-ordering Product Backlog items so they are ready for future Sprints. It is not a formal Scrum event and can happen at any time the team finds useful.

A fixed maximum duration for an activity that is not extended when the work is unfinished. In Scrum, timeboxes protect focus and force useful prioritization rather than encouraging open-ended discussion.

Anything slowing or blocking the team's progress that it cannot resolve on its own. The Scrum Master's service includes helping identify and remove such obstacles, often by working with people outside the team.

A leadership stance of serving people and their goals first, rather than directing them. It underlies how a Scrum Master supports the team's self-management, growth, and effectiveness through coaching and facilitation.

Helping individuals and teams find their own answers through questions, observation, and feedback rather than instruction. It builds lasting capability, which matters more than solving a single problem for the team.

Designing and guiding a group conversation so it reaches a useful outcome while keeping everyone engaged. A skilled facilitator manages process, participation, and time without taking over the content or the decision.

Explaining Scrum's rules, purpose, and reasoning so people can apply them without being supervised. In Professional Scrum training, teaching is combined with practice and reflection rather than delivered as lecture alone.

An instructional approach built on learner-centered, brain-friendly design: short content segments, frequent practice, and active reflection. Trainers use it to keep participants doing and discussing rather than passively listening.

A set of simple, repeatable group interaction formats that invite broad participation and distribute voice. Trainers and facilitators use them to structure discussions, retrospectives, and workshops so that everyone contributes.

A person assessed and authorized to deliver official Professional Scrum courses for Scrum.org. Authorization covers specific course titles and requires demonstrated Scrum knowledge plus proven training and facilitation skill.

A credential earned by passing an assessment on Scrum theory, accountabilities, events, and artifacts, and on the Scrum Master's role. It is knowledge-based; it does not certify practical experience on its own.

The short, authoritative definition of Scrum maintained by its creators. It describes the accountabilities, events, and artifacts and is the reference against which Professional Scrum practice and assessments are judged.

The practice of Scrum done with genuine rigor and craft, where the values are lived and the rules are applied fully rather than partially. It contrasts with superficial adoption that keeps the vocabulary but drops the discipline.