How do you report Scrum progress to different audiences?

1 Scrum artifacts

Scrum artifacts are the tangible outputs of the Scrum process, such as the product backlog, the sprint backlog, the increment, and the definition of done. These artifacts provide a clear and shared vision of what the team is working on, what they have completed, and what they are aiming for. You can use these artifacts to report Scrum progress to different audiences by showing the product backlog to stakeholders and customers to align on the product vision, goals, and priorities; showing the sprint backlog to other teams and managers to coordinate dependencies, risks, and resources; demonstrating the value and quality of the product with the increment to stakeholders, customers, and users to get feedback; and finally, showing the definition of done to stakeholders, customers, and other teams to ensure a common understanding of the acceptance criteria and standards.

2 Scrum metrics

Scrum metrics are quantitative measures of the Scrum process, such as velocity, burn-down charts, burn-up charts, and sprint goals. These metrics help the team monitor and improve their performance, as well as communicate their progress and achievements to different audiences. For example, you can use velocity to forecast the delivery timeline and scope to stakeholders and customers. Burn-down charts can be used to track the completion of tasks and identify impediments or deviations to other teams and managers. Burn-up charts can be used to track the delivery of value and features to stakeholders and customers, while sprint goals can be used to communicate the purpose and outcome of each sprint and how it contributes to the product vision to stakeholders, customers, and other teams.

3 Scrum events

Scrum events are the time-boxed meetings that facilitate the Scrum process, such as the sprint planning, the daily scrum, the sprint review, and the sprint retrospective. These events enable the team to plan, inspect, adapt, and collaborate with different audiences throughout the sprint. You can use these events to report Scrum progress to different audiences by inviting stakeholders and customers to the sprint planning to agree on the goal and scope, other teams and managers to the daily scrum to share updates and dependencies, stakeholders, customers, and users to the sprint review for feedback and suggestions, and other teams and managers to the sprint retrospective for learnings and improvement actions.

4 Scrum values

Scrum values such as commitment, courage, focus, openness, and respect foster a culture of trust, collaboration, and continuous improvement within the team and with different audiences. When reporting Scrum progress to different audiences, you can demonstrate commitment to the product vision and definition of done; demonstrate courage to face challenges and embrace change; demonstrate focus on the most important tasks; demonstrate openness to share information and seek feedback; and demonstrate respect for opinions and skills. This approach is not only about using the right tools and techniques, but also about applying the Scrum values and mindset to build trust, alignment, and engagement with stakeholders, customers, and other teams in order to deliver value faster and better.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?