Scrum Events Overview

Scrum defines five events that structure a team's work. These events repeat in the same pattern every sprint, which creates a predictable rhythm.

The Five Events

Sprint
  |-- Sprint Planning (start of sprint)
  |-- Daily Scrum (every day during sprint)
  |-- Sprint Review (end of sprint)
  |-- Sprint Retrospective (end of sprint, after review)

The Sprint Itself

The sprint acts as a container for all other events. It runs for a fixed length, usually between one and four weeks, and never extends beyond its planned end date.

Sprint Planning

The team meets at the start of the sprint to select backlog items and create a plan for completing them. A later topic in this course covers sprint planning in detail.

Daily Scrum

The team holds a short meeting every day to sync on progress and spot blockers early. A later topic covers this event in depth.

Sprint Review

The team shows the finished work to stakeholders at the end of the sprint and gathers feedback. A later topic explains this event fully.

Sprint Retrospective

The team reflects privately on how the sprint went and identifies improvements for the next sprint. A later topic explores this event in detail.

Layman's Example

Think of a school semester. The semester itself acts like a sprint with a fixed start and end date. The first week of orientation acts like sprint planning. Daily class check-ins act like the daily scrum. Final exams act like the sprint review, showing what students learned. A class survey at the end acts like the retrospective, gathering feedback to improve the next semester.

Time-Boxing

Every Scrum event has a maximum allowed duration, called a time box. Meetings end at the time box limit even if discussion remains unfinished. This rule keeps meetings short and respects everyone's time.

Key Takeaway

Scrum events create a repeating cycle of planning, daily syncing, reviewing, and reflecting. This rhythm keeps the team aligned and constantly improving.