Scrum Alliance glossary
Key Scrum Alliance certification terms and acronyms.
Definitions are AI-assisted and reviewed for general accuracy — verify critical details against Scrum Alliance's official documentation.
Backlog Refinement
An ongoing activity in which the Product Owner and team review, estimate, and detail Product Backlog items to prepare them for future Sprints.
CSMCertified ScrumMaster
A Scrum Alliance certification validating foundational knowledge of the ScrumMaster role, Scrum framework, and servant leadership principles.
Daily Scrum
A 15-minute daily event for Developers to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog as needed.
Definition of Done
A shared, formal description of the quality criteria that a Product Backlog item must meet to be considered complete.
DoDDefinition of Done
Abbreviated form of the shared quality checklist that determines when a backlog item or Increment is considered complete.
Empiricism
The Scrum pillar asserting that knowledge comes from experience and decisions are based on observation, reflected in transparency, inspection, and adaptation.
Impediment
Any obstacle or blocker that prevents the Scrum Team from making progress, which the ScrumMaster is responsible for resolving.
Increment
The sum of all completed Product Backlog items at the end of a Sprint that meets the Definition of Done.
Kanban
A visual workflow management method that limits work in progress to improve flow; sometimes used alongside or compared to Scrum.
Product Backlog
An ordered list of all work items needed for the product, owned and prioritized by the Product Owner.
Product Owner
A Scrum Team role responsible for maximizing product value by managing and prioritizing the Product Backlog.
Scrum
A lightweight agile framework for developing and sustaining complex products using iterative, time-boxed iterations called Sprints.
Scrum Team
A self-managing, cross-functional unit consisting of a Product Owner, ScrumMaster, and Developers who deliver increments each Sprint.
Scrum Values
The five core values of Scrum—Commitment, Focus, Openness, Respect, and Courage—that guide team behavior and decision-making.
ScrumMaster
A Scrum Team role responsible for coaching the team in Scrum practices, removing impediments, and facilitating Scrum events.
Servant Leadership
A leadership philosophy where the leader prioritizes the needs of the team, facilitating their growth and removing obstacles rather than directing work.
Sprint
A fixed-length iteration, typically one to four weeks, during which a Scrum Team creates a potentially releasable Product Increment.
Sprint Backlog
The set of Product Backlog items selected for the current Sprint, plus a plan for delivering the Sprint Goal.
Sprint Goal
A single objective set during Sprint Planning that provides focus and coherence for the work the Scrum Team undertakes in a Sprint.
Sprint Planning
A Scrum event at the start of each Sprint where the team selects backlog items and creates a plan to achieve the Sprint Goal.
Sprint Retrospective
A Scrum event after the Sprint Review where the team inspects its processes and identifies improvements for the next Sprint.
Sprint Review
A Scrum event held at the end of a Sprint to inspect the Increment and gather stakeholder feedback to adapt the Product Backlog.
Story Points
A relative unit of estimation used by Scrum Teams to measure the effort, complexity, and uncertainty of a Product Backlog item.
User Story
A concise description of a product feature written from an end-user perspective, typically following the format: As a [role], I want [goal], so that [benefit].
Velocity
A measure of the amount of work a Scrum Team completes in a Sprint, typically expressed in story points, used for forecasting.