A complex project is a project where multiple teams are involved and there are many product features to be added to the product. When organizations used the traditional software methodologies to complete these types of complex projects, they used to take months together to complete a particular set of features. They used to review the product features semi-annually or annually which caused many problems relating to the relevancy of the product and time to market. This method also makes the team productivity suffer in addition to hampering the quality of the product feature. As companies discovered Agile Methodology, they found Scrum to be a lightweight and simple method to approach and solve complex problems. Sprints could be defined as short iterations where complex projects are broken down into manageable and simple tasks. The duration of the Sprint is usually 2-4 weeks. Hence, the team members can be more effective and organized as they have a deadline and a Sprint goal. Easier said than done, breaking the complex project into simple and manageable tasks is often strenuous. How do the team members know which work to be completed first? How and where do you get started? We have an artifact called Sprint Backlog which helps us here. Sprint Backlogs are methods to ensure which work the team is going to complete during the course of the Sprint. It gives a clear picture of the tasks that have to be completed during a Sprint and ensures that all the team members understand the information in a similar manner. This article discusses what is a Sprint Backlog and how teams create one.

What do you mean by a Sprint Backlog?

A Sprint Backlog could be defined as a subset of the Product Backlog which consists of a number of items the Scrum Team has to complete in a particular Sprint. The Sprint Backlog has the details about how the team will implement the product features and also the effort required to build them. These items are called User Stories which are product features that provide value for a user. A Sprint Planning meeting is conducted before the beginning of a Sprint where the Product Owner and the Scrum Master define the Sprint Backlog items together. The User Stories are selected from the Product Backlog which is the complete list of items that contains everything the team needs to build the product. A single complex project has many Scrum Teams working towards it. The difference between the Product Backlog and Sprint Backlog is that the Product Backlog is common to all the teams working towards developing the product; the Sprint Backlog is specific to a particular team and refers to the list of User Stories that a particular team is supposed to complete. The Product Owner and the Scrum Master prioritize the items in the Product Backlog and select the items which the Scrum Team should complete during the Sprint to form the Sprint Backlog. During the Sprint, the team works on building software that delivers the User Stories in the Sprint Backlog. 

Difference between Product Backlog and Sprint Backlog

Product Backlogs consist of a list of items the team has to complete for the entire project to be considered as done. It includes all the features which the entire Agile team has to work on to complete the project. The Product Backlog is a single list of product features or User Stories that are common to all the Scrum Team members. Depending on the magnitude of the project and the organization, there may be multiple Scrum Teams working on the same project. Nonetheless, the Product Backlog is a list that would be common across all the teams working on the project. The Product Owner is responsible for the Product Backlog; the PO refines it periodically so that the items on the list remain relevant to the goals of the product. They make sure that the items are arranged according to the priority and the work which has to be done the earliest are at the top and every feature has all the information required to execute the feature.

A Sprint Backlog can be considered as the Product Backlog’s subset as it is derived from the Product Backlog. As the name suggests, it consists of a list of items that are required for a particular Sprint. The reason for creating a Sprint Backlog is to choose the items from the Product Backlog. These features are the ones which the team would build in the Sprint. The Sprint Backlog is created when the team plans the Sprint and once the items are moved from the Product Backlog to the Sprint Backlog, there should not be any changes made. The Sprint Backlog is specific only to a particular team working on it whereas the Product Backlog would be common to all the teams working on the project. 

Why is a Sprint Backlog required?

Whenever a Sprint begins, the team has to be clear on what they want to achieve in the Sprint; the items or User Stories they have to complete in the upcoming Sprint. This information keeps everyone on the same page while developing the product and also creates a central source for information about the Sprint. Features on the Backlog list need to be worked on and those which are not present do not have to be built which gives the team members a clarity to work. This  ensures that the team members focus on tasks that are achievable and are in the scope of the Sprint. Making a Sprint Backlog also avoids scope creep which is an uncontrollable growth in the scope of the project. 

The Sprint Backlog is created during the planning phase of a new project Sprint. The items in the Sprint Backlog should remain unchanged during the execution. However, the team members and the Product Owner can update individual tasks and additional progress during the Sprint. The Backlog is then shared with the Scrum Masters and the stakeholders which are reviewed during the Sprint retrospective meeting to evaluate the outcome of the Sprint. The Sprint Backlog is the source of all the information involving the Sprint which makes it a crucial component of any successful Sprint strategy. Sprint Backlog can be considered as a roadmap to all Scrum artifacts. 

What are the components of a Sprint Backlog?

The Sprint Backlog should contain specific components such as the name of the current Sprint, the User Stories for each initiative, the descriptions, the priority of each task, relevant real-time changes, and scheduling details for Daily Scrum and Sprint Planning meetings. Any Sprint Backlog will include the following things:
 

• User Story: A User Story is a product software feature written from the point of view of an end-user which has an importance in understanding the effect each feature has on the end-user. 
   

• Task name: Each task should have a clear and action-oriented name to keep the Sprint Backlog organized. Make sure that the title of the task is more of a verb than a noun as instead of labeling the task as “New mobile component” you can write it as ‘Design new mobile component for a web app”. This helps the stakeholders to quickly understand what each developer is working on and also makes them understand the Sprint Backlog easily. 
   

• Task description: Each task should have a proper and concise description which would create clarity such that the stakeholders are aware of the upcoming steps.
   

• Prioritization of tasks: There would be numerous tasks in a given project. It is important to prioritize the most important objectives so that your team meets the deadlines and the Sprint stays on track. 
   

• Sprint burndown chart: A burndown chart is a visual representation of the work left in the Sprint concerning the time it takes to complete it. The team uses these charts during the Sprint to estimate how long each iteration will take to complete.
   

• Daily time allocations: You need to track your daily time allocations to estimate how much you take to complete a task versus the actual time you have allotted for the task in the burndown chart. Analyze the time taken for each task in minutes or hours and at the end of the week add up your weekly time allocations to complete the burndown chart. 

How to create a Sprint Backlog?

Now that you have understood what goes in a Sprint Backlog, you would know what all to include in a Sprint Backlog. When a team creates a Sprint Backlog, they have to first estimate how much work can be done in the given period of the Sprint. Teams have two methods of estimating the work that can be done during a given Sprint. They are capacity-based Sprint Planning and velocity-based Sprint Planning. In capacity-based Sprint Planning, the team estimates the total amount of time each person has and adds them to estimate against the task that could be completed in a similar amount of time. Of course, there are many other factors such as multiplying the total time with the focus factor to get a real-time estimate. The Scrum Team takes up items on the Sprint Backlog according to the real-time estimate. In velocity-based Sprint Planning, they estimate their work in story points where they analyze the number of story points they complete in a particular Sprint and take up tasks for similar story points. 

Once you have selected the method in which your team has to work during the Sprint, the team chooses the items that are necessary to work on during the Sprint which is of high priority. The team breaks the complex Product Backlog items into Sprint tasks which are added into the Sprint Backlog. This makes it easier for them to work on the PBI. Using Post-it notes and index cards to show the Sprint Backlog using the task board would help the Sprint process run smoothly. An excel sheet or a digital task board would also suffice. Use these techniques to be transparent where everyone has access to what working is going on and what needs to be completed. 

Sprint Backlog Verification

Before the Sprint Backlog is finalized, you have to verify certain factors such as:
 

• Checking for any impediments: Could the User Stories whichever that is added to the Sprint Backlog be completed within the given time duration of a Sprint? If not, then adjust and resolve the User Stories. 
   

• Definition of Done: Have a clear definition of done for a User Story which is agreed upon by all the team members. 
   

• Missed Backlog items: Has the team missed any Backlog items that need to be completed during the upcoming Sprint but cannot be seen in the Sprint Backlog? In this case, add these items to the Sprint Backlog and adjust other factors such as workload, time allotment, etc as required to concise the work within the Sprint period. 
   

• Commitment: Can the team commit to the Sprint plan and explain how they will deliver the Sprint? Go ahead, if the team is committed to complete the work as planned. 
   

• Taskboard setup: Have a proper task board that is visually appealing that can show the Sprint Backlog clearly. 
   

• Risks: Make a note of the risks that can be encountered during the Sprint and try to solve them before it becomes a bigger problem.

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Conclusion

A Sprint Backlog is a roadmap for the team members to work on for a particular Sprint. Every team member picks work of their choice as it is never assigned. Sprint Backlog helps in bringing clarity in the work of the Scrum Team as they can get overwhelmed during complex projects involving multiple stakeholders and multiple teams. As mentioned, make sure to include all the components in the Sprint Backlog and have an idea about how the team is planning to allocate the work in their Sprint. Whether it is by capacity or velocity planning, choose the items from the Product Backlog accordingly for the Sprint Backlog. Also, if the work seems confusing, you can always spend a lot more time on that User Story and break it down later. Hence, creating a Sprint Backlog becomes a crucial step in Sprint Planning and is important for the Scrum Team to work on a project effectively.