Scrum Artifacts and Commitments
Three artifacts, each with a commitment
Each artifact carries a commitment that reinforces transparency and focus.
Product Backlog → Product Goal. The backlog is an emergent, ordered list of what is needed to improve the product. The Product Goal is the long-term objective the team plans against; there is one at a time, and it lives in the backlog.
Sprint Backlog → Sprint Goal. The Sprint Backlog is composed of the Sprint Goal (why), the selected items (what) and the plan for delivering them (how). The Sprint Goal is a single objective - a coherent purpose, not a list of tickets - and it gives the team flexibility on how while holding the why fixed.
Increment → Definition of Done. An Increment is a concrete stepping stone toward the Product Goal, additive to previous increments. Multiple increments may be created within one Sprint. The Definition of Done is the formal description of the quality state required; the moment an item meets it, an Increment is born.
Traps
- Confusing the Definition of Done with acceptance criteria: acceptance criteria are per-item and product-specific; the DoD is the team-wide (or organizational) quality bar.
- Writing the Sprint Goal as a list of backlog items - it must be one objective.
- Assuming only one Increment per Sprint, or that unfinished work counts toward it.
- Treating the Product Goal as a per-Sprint target; it spans many Sprints.
Rule of thumb
If it does not meet the Definition of Done, it is not part of the Increment - it returns to the Product Backlog and is reconsidered. Never report partially done work as delivered.