Sprint Review Cheat Sheet
Purpose
The sprint review is a collaborative session where the team demonstrates their completed work and gathers stakeholder feedback. It’s not a status meeting but rather a chance for genuine interaction and discussion about the product increment.
Key Participants
- Product Owner: Leads the session
- Development Team: Demonstrates completed work
- Scrum Master: Facilitates and ensures productive discussion
- Stakeholders: Provide feedback and insights
- End Users (when possible): Offer direct user perspective
Before the Review
- Product Owner ensures the board is up to date
- Team prepares demos of completed stories
- Scrum Master arranges meeting space/virtual setup
- Create agenda highlighting key items to demonstrate
- Review acceptance criteria for demonstrated items
- Test demos in advance to avoid technical issues
During the Review (Typically 1-4 hours)
Opening (5-10 mins)
- Welcome participants
- Review sprint goal
- Set expectations for the session
Sprint Overview (10-15 mins)
- Product Owner summarizes completed and incomplete work
- Share sprint metrics if relevant
- Acknowledge team achievements and challenges
Demonstrations (Bulk of the meeting)
- Show working software/completed items
- Focus on user value and business impact
- Encourage questions and discussion
- Capture feedback in real-time
- Document new backlog items that emerge
Feedback and Discussion
- Ask open-ended questions
- Encourage stakeholder participation
- Focus on constructive feedback
- Note suggestions for future improvements
Closing (10-15 mins)
- Summarize key points and decisions
- Review action items
- Preview next sprint’s goals
- Thank participants
Best Practices
- Keep demos focused on working features
- Encourage interactive discussion
- Use real-world scenarios in demonstrations
- Document decisions and action items
- Stay time-boxed
- Avoid diving into technical details unless specifically asked
- Focus on value delivered rather than effort spent
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
- Turning it into a status report
- Showing incomplete work
- Allowing technical discussions to dominate
- Failing to capture feedback
- Not involving stakeholders enough
- Running overtime
- Presenting without context
Follow-up Actions
- Update product backlog based on feedback
- Document and distribute review notes
- Schedule follow-up discussions if needed
- Update roadmap if significant changes emerged
- Share demo recordings if applicable
Remote Review Tips
- Test all tools beforehand
- Use screen sharing effectively
- Encourage video participation
- Use collaborative tools for feedback
- Plan for technical difficulties
- Build in breaks for longer sessions
- Use chat features for questions
- Record session if agreed upon
Feedback Collection Template
What worked well
- Value delivered
- Stakeholder engagement
- Technical implementation
- Team collaboration
What needs improvement
- Process adjustments
- Communication
- Technical challenges
- Stakeholder involvement
Measuring Success
- Stakeholder attendance and engagement
- Quality of feedback received
- Number of actionable items identified
- Team confidence in demonstrations
- Clarity of next steps
- Time management effectiveness