Sprint Review To Do List
The sprint review is a big moment for any development team. It marks the end of one sprint and the start of another. It is one of the pillar ceremonies of Scrum. What makes these meetings successful? What is a checklist or to-do list you can use to plan a successful sprint review?
Welcome Everyone to the Meeting
The start of the sprint review requires a welcome. You never want to dive right into the topics. Take a few minutes and allow the product owner to thank everyone for being present, and for all of their hard work during the last sprint. Whether in person or on a virtual meeting line, this is also a good opportunity for introductions if people don't know each other.
Once the introductions are done, it is time to set expectations. The product owner can lay out how the meeting will flow. One common thing to do in the sprint review is briefly state that feedback is welcome, but make sure everyone knows that the goal of the meeting is not to redesign any features.
What's on Display?
What is the demo going to feature today? The product owner needs to lay out the demonstration items. A brief overview of what demos will feature is a wonderful idea to help set expectations. Instead of reading off a list, the product owner should have an agenda or bullet list to display. If everyone is present, printed copies of the agenda are a good idea as well.
It is also beneficial to list the actual User Stories the team finished during the last sprint. Having their size, status, and acceptance criteria right there can showcase what the team knows and how it matches what the customer needs.
Get into the Demo
The biggest piece of the sprint review meeting is the demonstration itself. In most sprint reviews, it will be the only agenda item. During the demo, you want to start with the list from the prior part of the meeting and work your way down, one demo item at a time. Ask for light feedback as you go. If things need a redesign, queue that up for a future meeting.
How the team demonstrates work is usually up to the folks running the demo. Sometimes the product owner will do the entire demonstration. Other times, individual team members will demo specific items they worked on. It is usually best practice for individual team members to demo what they complete for familiarity, accuracy and success of the live demo.
Reflect on the Prior Sprint
Once the demo of new functionality is complete, you want to leave a few minutes to talk about key happenings from the last sprint. You can also address potential issues the team ran into over that period. The Product Owner or Scrum Master usually facilitates this part of the meeting. This is not a retrospective, but just a quick flashback to key happenings from the last sprint.
Show What's Coming Next
Finally, you’ll want to look at what is coming next. What is the next set of backlog items the team is going to work on? Where are they heading and what do they plan to demo in the following sprint review? Participants like to know what is coming and what to look forward to. Giving this glimpse can help set stakeholder expectations.
The sprint review is a pivotal meeting in the Scrum framework. Having an agenda to execute and a schedule to stick to allows the meeting to run seamlessly. At ClearlyAgile we offer a number of training programs and workshops, including Story Mapping and User Story Workshops, as well as Certified Scrum Master and Product Owner courses. Our Agile coaches can guide you through the project kickoff and help you create a successful Sprint review to do list. Contact us today to find out more!