A glossary of Scrum and Agile terms
In order to get better acquainted with any methodology and framework, one must be familiar with the often-used terms and expressions that go with them. We compiled a list of the most common Agile and Scrum terms, so you can easily tell apart a Scrum Master from a Product Owner, know what exactly constitutes a Sprint and find out what’s inside a Backlog.
Agile: a group of software development methodologies that Scrum falls within. Its values and principles were first expressed in the Agile Manifesto.
Daily (Scrum) meeting: a widely practiced technique, the daily meeting is the chance for members of a Scrum team to talk about their progress, define and set priorities, report and solve problems.
Done: a shared understanding and agreement of a set of criteria that need to be fulfilled so that a product increment can be considered releasable and ready to be integrated by the end of a sprint.
Emergence: term used to describe new facts or knowledge being manifested and acquired during the work.
Empiricism: term used to describe the “inspect and adapt” principle, the process during which team members try something new and collect valuable insights from the experience.
Increments: successive pieces of functional software that add to form a product.
Product Backlog: a list of items, compiled, managed and prioritized by the Product Owner. Each item corresponds to the work that needs to be done in order to create, maintain and sustain a product.
Product Owner: the person responsible for managing the Product Backlog, transferring the product’s vision to the other members of the Scrum team and being constantly available for guidance and clarifications.
Scrum: a framework to support teams in complex product development.
Scrum Master: the Scrum Team member responsible for guiding, coaching, teaching and assisting the other members of a Scrum Team, including the Product Owner.
Scrum Team: a team made of a Product Owner, a Development Team and a Scrum Master.
Self-organization: the principle by which Scrum teams organize their work, with members agreeing on the most efficient ways to work, instead of waiting for external direction.
Sprint: usually a 30-day event that contains other Scrum activities. Sprints are carried out in uninterrupted succession.
Sprint Goal: the purpose of each Sprint, the business or functional needs that will be addressed and resolved.
