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Scrum has a rhythm among its various events. If you’re starting or considering Scrum, you might be asking:
Who attends each of these meetings, and what role do they play?
These Scrum meetings are critical to the success of the Scrum team. So is understanding the role each team member plays. I’ll walk you through how the Scrum team members engage at each Scrum meeting.
Key ideas
- Identify who attends each Scrum meeting.
- Understand the role Scrum team members play in the Scrum meetings.
Identify who attends each Scrum meeting.
Before we cover each team member's roles in the meetings, let’s walk through who needs to be at each meeting. You’ll see a few new people who show up as guests at some of the meetings, and I’ll break down who needs to be there and for whom it’s optional.
Sprint Planning
- Development Team: Required
- Scrum Master: Required
- Product Owner: Required
Daily Scrum
- Development Team: Required
- Scrum Master: Recommended
- Product Owner: Recommended
Backlog Refinement
- Development Team: Required
- Scrum Master: Recommended
- Product Owner: Required
- Subject Matter Experts: Invited as needed
Sprint Review
- Development Team: Required
- Scrum Master: Optional
- Product Owner: Required
- Stakeholders: Required
Retrospective
- Development Team: Required
- Scrum Master: Required
- Product Owner: Required
Understand the role Scrum team members play in the Scrum meetings.
Now that we understand who is at each of these meetings let’s look at their role. We’ll walk through each meeting again, primarily looking at the roles of the Product Owner, Scrum Master and Dev Team. I’ll also include Subject Matter Experts and Stakeholders as they show up in some of the meetings.
Sprint Planning
Development Team: The dev team identifies how much work they can deliver at the end of the sprint. They ask questions and possibly further decomposed features using user stories and acceptance criteria. At the end of the meeting, the development team explains back to the product owner and the scrum master their initial plan for accomplishing the sprint goal.
Scrum Master: The Scrum Master facilitates the meeting, ensuring that questions are answered, and the team gets the clarity they need to begin the sprint.
Product Owner: The product owner defines the sprint goal or objective to provide clarity and priority for the sprint. They then work with the team to move requirements from the product backlog to the sprint backlog, answering questions along the way.
Daily Scrum
Development Team: Every day for fifteen minutes, the development team inspects the previous day's work, plans the next day’s work and identifies any barriers.
Scrum Master: The scrum master attends and helps the team learn to run the daily scrum, but the meeting is the team’s responsibility, and they are accountable.
Product Owner: Answer any questions or make quick product decisions that come up.
Backlog Refinement
Development Team: Reviews all the Product Backlog Items or PBIs for completeness, asking questions when they need clarity. If a story is too big, they work with the product owner to break it down. The team agrees to the acceptance criteria.
Product Owner: Presents the current backlog explaining and answering questions as needed by the team. If new requirements or stories arise during the meeting, the product owner will decide how to prioritize them in the backlog.
Scrum Master: Observes and helps the team work through the process effectively while keeping the meeting within the time-box.
Subject Matter Experts: Ask and answer questions.
Sprint Review
Development Team: The Dev Team presents and demonstrates the completed stories. The team also shares what went well during the sprint and what obstacles they encountered. They receive feedback from stakeholders and answer questions as needed.
Scrum Master: Attends to hear feedback from stakeholders and ensures the meeting goes as planned.
Product Owner: Invites the stakeholders to the meeting and facilitates the discussion. They review the state of the backlog.
Stakeholders: Ask questions and give feedback.
Retrospective
Development Team: The entire Scrum team inspects the last sprint regarding people, relationships, processes, and tools. You want to consider how to improve what went well and mitigate what was difficult. Take these insights and create a plan to improve how the scrum team is working.
Product Owner: Contributes to evaluating how the whole team worked together during the sprint. Suppose any changes the team decides on require additional work (like learning a new skill or fixing a broken process). In that case, the product owner should add an internal user story to the backlog to represent that work in a future sprint.
Scrum Master: Facilitates the meeting while also contributing to evaluating how things went and what might need to be changed.
Scrum has a lot of meetings and it can be hard to keep them straight, especially when you're getting started.
The Scrum meeting checklist has all the details you need to run effective Scrum meetings.
Related Guides
Action Plan
I hope this article helped you clarify who attends each scrum meeting and their role. If you want to dive deeper into the topic of Scrum meetings or just learn more about Scrum, check out my What is Scrum? A Guide for Everyday People to Learn Scrum. If you have more questions, please feel free to reach out on LinkedIn.
Still not sure about your next step with Scrum? I offer a couple of free coaching sessions each month. You can signup for a free 1-hour coaching session, and we can work together to identify a good next step for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Scrum events overview
What are the Scrum events?
The rhythm of scrum consists of various events.
- Sprint planning
- Daily standup
- Backlog refinement
- Sprint review
- Sprint retrospective
- The sprint
The last on the list is sometimes debated as to whether or not it’s actually a scrum event. I include it because it's critical to creating a cadence of work for the team.
Learn more about the rhythm of scrum. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
What scrum events are timeboxed?
Most scrum events are timeboxed relative to the length of the sprint:
- Sprint planning: 2 hours / sprint week.
- Daily standup: 15 minutes.
- Backlog refinement: 2 hours / sprint week.
- Sprint review: 1 hour / sprint week.
- Retrospective: 45 minutes / sprint week.
Just because an event has a timebox doesn’t mean it needs to be that long. The timebox is the maximum time allowed for the event.
Learn more about the different scrum events. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
When should scrum events be held?
Scrum events are generally held in the following order
- Sprint planning: Held at the very beginning of a sprint.
- Daily standup: Every day at the same time and place.
- Backlog refinement: Flexible. Held at whatever time and frequency best serves the team.
- Sprint review: Held on the last day of the sprint.
- Retrospective: Very last event of the sprint.
The backlog refinement session is unique in that it can be held anytime.
Explore further the events of scrum. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
Which scrum event is most important?
I included this because it is frequently asked, but the question misunderstands the importance of the scrum events. It’s like asking which of your limbs is most important. You may be able to answer, but they are really all critical.
If pressed for an answer, the daily scrum probably has the greatest impact on the team's effectiveness.
Learn more about the events in scrum. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
Scrum events purpose
What is the goal of each Scrum event?
- Sprint planning: Clarify the direction and goal for the sprint.
- Daily standup: Everyone on the team gains updated visibility into everyone’s work.
- Backlog refinement: Understand upcoming work.
- Sprint review: Present finished work to stakeholders for feedback.
- Sprint retrospective: Review how the team works and make necessary adjustments.
Understand the purpose of the scrum meetings. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
Which scrum events facilitate inspection and adaptation?
Inspection and adaptation (along with transparency) are pillars of scrum, so all events involve them.
- Sprint planning: the purpose and work of the sprint are inspected.
- Daily standup: progress toward the sprint goal is inspected, and adjustments are made.
- Backlog refinement: upcoming work is inspected, and PBIs are adapted.
- Sprint review: delivered work is inspected, and upcoming work is adapted
- Retrospective: team health and interactions are inspected, and norms or plans are adapted.
Learn more about the role of events in scrum. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
Which scrum event is for process improvement?
Process improvement aligns closely with the scrum pillars of transparency, inspection and adaptation.
- Sprint planning: How do we improve the product?
- Daily standup: How do we improve our approach to the sprint goal?
- Backlog refinement: How do we improve the quality of the product backlog?
- Sprint review: How do we improve the functionality being delivered?
- Retrospective: How do we improve how our team works together?
Out of all the events, the retrospective is the most focused on process improvement.
Learn more about events in scrum. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
What is the goal of the scrum of scrum event?
The scrum of scrums is an extra scrum event used when multiple scrum teams are collaborating together on a single product.
The scrum of scrums follows a similar pattern to the daily scrum session. The session allows the teams to update each other on what has been done, what obstacles have been encountered, and what to do next.
The scrum of scrums allows those teams to stay in sync and account for dependencies that bridge across teams. When facilitated well with healthy teams the scrum of scrum can even create collective ownership you see in self organizing teams.
If multiple scrum teams are collaborating on a single product then ideally both teams care more about it the product as a whole succeeds versus just caring if they did their part. The transparency, evaluation and adaptation from the scrum or scrums can make this possible.
To learn more explore the most common terms in a Scrum glossary.
Facilitating scrum events
How to facilitate scrum events?
Scrum events have a clear purpose and agenda but are still very interactive. Facilitation of scrum events is at its best when everyone is engaged, asking or responding to questions. All events are timeboxed, so the facilitator must ensure the team is always moving toward the goal.
Learn more about team member's responsibilities during scrum events. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
How to improve scrum events?
Three strategies for increasing participation in scrum meetings are
- Clearly state the goal. Sometimes people don’t engage because they are unsure about the purpose.
- Use facilitation games. There are many facilitation exercises available for the scrum events.
- Invite feedback. Inspection is a pillar of scrum. Ask the team for feedback on what went well and how to improve.
Learn more about everyone’s roles and responsibilities during the scrum events. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
Who facilitates (or owns) scrum events?
Scrum cultivates shared ownership for all the events, but each still has a facilitator.
- Sprint planning: Scrum master.
- Daily standup: Development team.
- Backlog refinement: Product owner.
- Sprint review: Product owner.
- Retrospective: Scrum master.
Learn more about everyone’s roles and responsibilities during the scrum events. Then explore the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
Does the scrum master facilitate all the scrum events?
The scrum master primarily facilitates two scrum events:
- Sprint planning
- The retrospective
The scrum master can help facilitate other meetings while a new team is beginning to learn scrum.
Learn more about roles during scrum events. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
Beginning a sprint
What is sprint planning in scrum?
Here’s a quick agenda
- Product owner sets the sprint direction.
- PBIs move from the product backlog to the sprint backlog.
- Team plans how they will complete the selected work.
- Team communicates their plan back to the product owner and scrum master.
Learn more about how to facilitate sprint planning. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
What is a sprint in scrum?
Think of scrum as a relay race, with each sprint being a lap. The scrum team hands off the “baton” of finished work to itself in the next sprint.
Learn more about the role of a sprint in scrum. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
Is the sprint a scrum event?
The sprint isn’t always included in the list of scrum events. I include it because it's critical to creating a cadence of work for the team. The sprint serves as a container for all other scrum events.
Learn more about sprints in scrum. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
At which scrum event is the sprint backlog created?
The sprint backlog is created during sprint planning as PBIs (product backlog items) are moved from the product backlog to the sprint backlog.
Learn more about the sprint planning process and then explore the most common terms in a Scrum glossary.
Middle of a sprint
What is a daily standup?
The Daily standup is a brief 15-minute daily check-in for the Scrum team to do three things:
- Inspects the previous day's work.
- Plans the current day’s work.
- Identifies any barriers to getting things done.
It’s called a standup because it’s so short you don’t need to sit down.
Learn how to keep your team in sync with a daily standup. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
What is scrum backlog refinement?
During the backlog refinement session, the team previews upcoming work to ensure the following:
- Outcomes are clearly defined.
- Supporting information is visible.
- Resources are accessible.
There is flexibility for when to hold the backlog refinement session.
Learn more about how to run a backlog refinement session. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
Ending a sprint
What is a sprint review in scrum?
Various stakeholders and subject matter experts from across the organization attend to give feedback.
Learn how to run a sprint review. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
How to run a scrum retrospective?
The tone is positive and productive, focused on improving the team.
Three strategies for a compelling retrospective include
- Provide pre-work for the scrum team to reflect on the sprint experience.
- Set ground rules for healthy, productive communication.
- Use activities to facilitate the conversation.
Learn how you can facilitate a scrum retrospective. Then browse the most common terms in a Scrum glossary and learn what is Scrum.
Scrum backlog
What is the backlog in Scrum?
There are actually two backlogs, the product backlog and the sprint backlog. They each contain the definitive list of work to be done. The product owner keeps the backlog ordered by priority.
Learn to use the backlog in Scrum and check out the sprint backlog vs product backlog in Scrum.
How are the product backlog and sprint backlog different?
The product backlog prioritizes the features needed in the product. It is a singular visible source of requirements for the product.
The sprint backlog represents the work to do in a given sprint. It is a definitive list of all the scrum team is being asked to produce for the sprint.
Learn more about the sprint backlog vs product backlog in Scrum.
What is a PBI (product backlog item)?
Each item in the backlog represents precise work and value to deliver. Often these PBIs are written using both user stories and acceptance criteria. The PBIs are what gets refined during the backlog refinement session, and if one is too large, it may be broken down into smaller PBIs.
Learn more about how backlogs are used in scrum, the sprint backlog vs product backlog in Scrum and explore the essential Scrum glossary.
What is the Scrum sprint backlog?
The Scrum sprint backlog is a prioritized list of items from the product backlog that the development team plans to complete during the upcoming sprint.
It is a plan for the Sprint and is created during the Sprint Planning meeting where the Development Team decides on how to build the functionality that meets the Sprint Goal. The Sprint Backlog typically includes user stories, bugs, technical work, and other items that the development team needs to work on during the sprint. Each item in the Sprint Backlog has a clear definition of done, so the team knows when the item is considered complete.
The Development Team is responsible for creating and updating their Sprint Backlog throughout the Sprint, making sure they are on track to meet the Sprint Goal. The Sprint Backlog is a working document that helps the Development Team visualize their progress and make any necessary adjustments to their plan as they go along. The Sprint Backlog is also transparent, allowing stakeholders to see what work is being done during the Sprint.
Learn more about the backlogs of Scrum.
What is the Scrum product backlog?
In Scrum, the product backlog is a prioritized list of features, bugs, technical work, and other product-related items that need to be addressed by the development team.
It serves as a single source of truth for what needs to be done on the product.
The items in the product backlog are ordered based on their importance to the product owner and the value they bring to the end-user. As the project progresses, the product backlog is constantly updated to reflect new priorities, changes in requirements, and feedback from stakeholders.
The product backlog is a living document that evolves throughout the project's lifecycle. It provides transparency and enables collaboration among all members of the Scrum team.
Learn more about the backlogs in Scrum.
Scrum User Stories
What is a user story?
They keep the team focused on the value they create for the end-user and are written using the following format:
- As a… [user]
- I want to… [goal]
- So that I can… [motivation]
See examples of user stories to learn to write your own and explore the essential Scrum glossary.
What is acceptance criteria in scrum?
Acceptance criteria is written using the following structure:
- Given that [context allowing me to take an action]
- When [I take the action]
- Then [a result occurs indicating success or failure]
Learn more about how acceptance criteria is used in Scrum and explore the essential Scrum glossary.
How are acceptance criteria and user stories different?
A user story focuses on the identity, goals and motivations of the user you’re designing for. It emphasizes the why of the new functionality.
Acceptance Criteria focuses on the action taken by the user to meet their goal. It highlights the what of the new functionality.
See more acceptance criteria examples and learn to write acceptance criteria or learn other essential scrum terms.
What's an example of acceptance criteria?
Acceptance criteria is structured using the template
- Given that [context allowing me to take an action]
- When [I take the action]
- Then [a result occurs indicating success or failure]
Here are 3 examples:
Checkout process functionality
- Given that I’ve added all the items to my cart and I’m logged in,
- When I click the check out button,
- Then the checkout page loads with all my payment and shipping information preloaded.
Advertising campaign
- Given that someone fits our ideal customer persona,
- When they search for keywords we’re targeting,
- Then a link to a compelling offer is displayed above the fold.
Marketing campaign (Did you know you could use Scrum for marketing)
- Given that a customer is already receiving email communications,
- When they visit the site and engage content related to a specific product,
- Then they will be automatically subscribed to nurturing campaign highlighting that product. Or
See more acceptance criteria examples and learn to write how to create your own or learn other essential scrum terms.
What are story points?
They aren’t absolute measurements like hours or days but measure the amount of work a PBI takes relative to other PBIs. Typical measurements include using Fibonacci numbers or t-shirt sizes.
Learn to use story points and explore the essential Scrum glossary.
