4. Scrum Artifacts for “Heart of Harmony”
Scrum’s artifacts represent work or value and are designed to maximize transparency of key information. Each artifact has a commitment.
Product Backlog:
- Description: An emergent, ordered list of what is needed to improve the product. It is the single source of work undertaken by the Scrum Team.
- Commitment: The Product Goal (e.g., “To create the most engaging and accessible digital platform for the Heart of Harmony Community Center by end of 2025”). The Product Goal is the long-term objective.
- Refinement: Product Backlog refinement is an ongoing activity to add details, order, and size to items. Items ready for selection in Sprint Planning should be “Done” by the Scrum Team within one Sprint.
Example: The Product Backlog for the “Heart of Harmony” digital platform would include features like “Online facility booking,” “Volunteer registration,” and “Community event calendar,” ordered by the Product Owner based on value towards the Product Goal.
Sprint Backlog:
- Description: Composed of the Sprint Goal (why), the set of Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint (what), and an actionable plan for delivering the Increment (how). It is a plan by and for the Developers.
- Commitment: The Sprint Goal (e.g., “Enable basic event sign-ups for the community”). The Sprint Goal is the single objective for the Sprint, providing flexibility in exact work needed.
- Emergent: It is updated throughout the Sprint as more is learned. It should have enough detail that Developers can inspect their progress in the 15-minute Daily Scrum.
Example: For the “Heart of Harmony” team, the Sprint Backlog for a given Sprint would include the Sprint Goal (e.g., “Enable basic event sign-ups”), the selected user stories, and the detailed tasks (often decomposed into work of one day or less) for coding, designing, and testing those features.
Increment:
- Description: A concrete stepping stone toward the Product Goal. Each Increment is additive to all prior Increments and thoroughly verified, ensuring all Increments work together. It must be usable.
- Commitment: The Definition of Done.
- Creation: The moment a Product Backlog item meets the Definition of Done, an Increment is born. Multiple Increments may be created within a Sprint.
- Release: An Increment may be delivered to stakeholders prior to the end of the Sprint. The Sprint Review should never be considered a gate to releasing value.
Example: At the end of each one-month Sprint, the “Heart of Harmony” team produces a “Done,” usable piece of the digital platform, such as a working web page displaying upcoming events with sign-up functionality. This Increment is ready for use.
Definition of Done:
- Description: A formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product. It creates transparency by providing everyone a shared understanding of what work was completed.
- Requirement: If the Definition of Done is part of organizational standards, all Scrum Teams must follow it as a minimum. If not, the Scrum Team must create a Definition of Done appropriate for the product.
- Compliance: The Developers are required to conform to the Definition of Done.
- Multiple Teams: If there are multiple Scrum Teams working together on a product, they must mutually define and comply with the same Definition of Done.
Example: The “Heart of Harmony” digital team’s Definition of Done might include: “Code reviewed, unit tests passed, integrated into main branch, deployed to staging, UAT passed by Product Owner, user documentation updated.” If another team works on a different part of the platform, they must use the same Definition of Done.
This detailed application, with explicit references to the Scrum Guide’s numbers and core tenets, should provide an excellent foundation for PSM I exam preparation, helping participants visualize and retain the framework’s structure and rules.
