Scrum Artifacts and Commitments: Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, Increment

Scrum artifacts: what they are for (and why they matter daily)

Scrum uses three artifacts to make work and progress transparent: the Product Backlog, the Sprint Backlog, and the Increment. Each artifact has a related commitment that improves focus and clarity: Product Goal (for the Product Backlog), Sprint Goal (for the Sprint Backlog), and Definition of Done (for the Increment). In day-to-day work, artifacts are not “documents to maintain”; they are the team’s shared, current view of what to build, what is being built now, and what is actually done.

Product Backlog and Product Goal: one direction, many options

What the Product Backlog contains

The Product Backlog is the single, ordered list of everything that might be needed in the product. Items can be features, fixes, experiments, technical improvements, research spikes, or compliance work. Each Product Backlog Item (PBI) should be understandable enough to discuss and order, even if details evolve later.

In practice, a useful Product Backlog item typically includes:

• A short description of the outcome or change
• Acceptance criteria or checks that clarify what “works”
• Value/risk notes (why it matters, what could go wrong)
• Size/effort estimate (lightweight is fine)
• Dependencies or constraints (only when real)

How the Product Goal relates to the Product Backlog

The Product Goal is a longer-term objective for the product. It gives the Product Backlog a clear direction: the backlog is not just a pile of requests; it is a set of options ordered to reach the Product Goal.

Use the Product Goal to answer daily questions like:

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• “If we can only do one thing next, what best moves us toward the Product Goal?”
• “Which items reduce the biggest risk to achieving the Product Goal?”
• “Are we adding items that distract from the Product Goal?”

Daily usage: quick checks that keep the Product Backlog healthy

You should be able to open the Product Backlog at any time and understand what is most important next. To keep it usable day-to-day, apply these habits:

• Keep the top ordered items ready-ish: the top slice should be clear enough to select in Sprint Planning without major rework.
• Continuously re-order: when new information arrives (customer feedback, production issues, stakeholder changes), reflect it by re-ordering rather than creating a separate “urgent” list.
• Remove or rewrite stale items: if an item has been sitting for months, either delete it, reframe it, or explicitly de-prioritize it.

Step-by-step: using the Product Goal to decide what to refine next

1. Start with the Product Goal and name the next learning or delivery milestone needed to get closer.
2. Identify PBIs that support that milestone (delivery, risk reduction, validation).
3. Order those PBIs above others so the backlog reflects the goal, not the loudest request.
4. Refine only what’s near the top (avoid over-detailing low-priority items).
5. Check for “goal drift”: if new PBIs don’t connect to the Product Goal, challenge them or create a separate product goal (not a hidden backlog).

Sprint Backlog: Sprint Goal + selected PBIs + plan

What the Sprint Backlog contains

The Sprint Backlog is the Developers’ plan for the Sprint. It has three parts:

• Sprint Goal: the single objective that gives the Sprint coherence
• Selected PBIs: the Product Backlog items chosen for the Sprint
• The plan: the work needed to turn those PBIs into a Done Increment (often represented as tasks)

The Sprint Backlog is not a static contract. It is updated throughout the Sprint as more is learned.

Sprint Goal: the anchor for daily decisions

The Sprint Goal is the reason the Sprint is worth doing. It helps the team make trade-offs when reality changes. If something unexpected happens (a production incident, a discovery that a solution won’t work, a dependency delay), the Sprint Goal helps decide what to adjust while still delivering value.

Examples of Sprint Goals (good because they describe an outcome):

• “Enable customers to reset passwords without contacting support.”
• “Reduce checkout failures by addressing the top two error causes.”
• “Validate whether users understand the new onboarding flow.”

Examples that are weaker (they describe activity, not outcome):

• “Finish 12 stories.”
• “Implement API endpoints.”

Selected PBIs: what you intend to deliver

Selected PBIs are the subset of the Product Backlog the team forecasts it can complete within the Sprint while meeting the Definition of Done. The key daily behavior is to treat these PBIs as the “work in focus,” not as optional suggestions.

The plan: tasks and the evolving path to Done

The plan is the set of work steps needed to complete the selected PBIs. Teams often represent this as tasks on a board. The plan should be detailed enough to support daily coordination, but not so detailed that it becomes busywork.

Common task categories include:

• Design/UX work
• Implementation
• Testing (automated and exploratory)
• Documentation or operational readiness
• Review, integration, and deployment steps

Step-by-step: keeping the Sprint Backlog current during the Sprint

1. Start each day by re-checking the Sprint Goal: “What is the most direct path to this outcome today?”
2. Update work status in one visible place (board/tool): move items, adjust tasks, add missing tasks discovered during work.
3. Limit work in progress: finish started items before starting new ones to protect flow toward Done.
4. When new work appears, decide explicitly:
   • If it supports the Sprint Goal, add it to the Sprint Backlog and adjust the plan.
   • If it does not support the Sprint Goal, route it to the Product Backlog (or handle via a clear interruption policy agreed with the Product Owner).
5. Re-negotiate scope when needed: if the plan changes significantly, collaborate with the Product Owner to swap PBIs while keeping the Sprint Goal intact.

Practical example: a mid-Sprint surprise

Situation: Halfway through the Sprint, a security issue is found in the login flow.

• If the Sprint Goal is “Enable password reset without support,” the team asks: “Does fixing this security issue block achieving the goal or releasing the Increment?” If yes, add the fix to the Sprint Backlog and remove or reduce other work to keep the goal achievable.
• If it’s unrelated and not urgent, capture it as a PBI and order it appropriately in the Product Backlog rather than creating a side list.

Increment: what is actually done (and what counts as releasable)

What the Increment is

The Increment is the sum of all Product Backlog items completed during the Sprint, plus the value of increments from previous Sprints. It must be in a usable condition and meet the team’s Definition of Done.

Think of the Increment as: “If we had to release right now, what could we confidently ship?” Even if you choose not to release, the Increment should be releasable.

What “releasable” means in practice

Releasable does not necessarily mean “released to all users.” It means the Increment is complete enough that releasing would be a business decision, not a technical scramble. Depending on your context, releasable may include:

• Integrated into the main branch with passing automated tests
• Security and compliance checks completed (as required)
• Documentation or release notes prepared (as required)
• Feature toggles configured (if used) without leaving unfinished behavior
• Deployed to a production-like environment (if that is part of Done)

Definition of Done: the quality bar that prevents “almost done”

The Definition of Done (DoD) is a shared understanding of what it means for work to be complete. It creates transparency by making quality explicit and consistent. Without a clear DoD, teams accumulate hidden work (testing later, documentation later, integration later) and the Increment becomes uncertain.

A DoD is not a wish list; it is a minimum standard. Example DoD checks might include:

• Code reviewed and merged
• Unit/integration tests added and passing
• No critical known defects
• Meets acceptance criteria
• Telemetry/logging added where needed
• Deployed to staging or production (depending on your pipeline)

Step-by-step: verifying an Increment is releasable

1. Confirm each completed PBI meets the DoD (not “mostly done”).
2. Validate integration: ensure PBIs work together as a coherent product slice.
3. Run end-to-end checks appropriate to your product (smoke tests, exploratory testing, performance checks).
4. Confirm operational readiness: monitoring, rollback plan, and support notes if required.
5. Make release a choice: if all DoD criteria are met, releasing becomes a business timing decision.

How transparency is created: visible work, current status, clear “Done”

Make work visible (no “shadow systems”)

Transparency means stakeholders and the Scrum Team can inspect reality. That requires that the real work is visible in the artifacts people actually use. A simple rule: if it takes time and affects delivery, it belongs on a Scrum artifact.

Examples of work that often becomes hidden (and should not):

• Bug fixing done “on the side” without updating the Sprint Backlog
• Unplanned support requests tracked in personal notes
• Architecture tasks tracked in a separate tool no one checks
• QA work happening after a PBI is marked “done”

Keep status current (so inspection is meaningful)

Artifacts only create transparency if they reflect today’s reality. Out-of-date boards and backlogs create false confidence and poor decisions.

Daily behaviors that keep status current:

• Update the Sprint Backlog when tasks change, not at the end of the day “if there’s time.”
• Move PBIs across workflow states based on objective criteria (e.g., “In Review” means a review is requested and pending).
• Use the Definition of Done as the gate for “Done,” not optimistic progress.

Use clear “Done” language to avoid ambiguity

Ambiguity shows up as statuses like “dev done,” “QA done,” “almost done,” or “ready for testing.” These often signal that the DoD is not being applied consistently or that work is being handed off rather than finished.

Replace ambiguous states with either:

• Explicit workflow steps that reflect real constraints (e.g., “Ready for Review,” “In Review,” “Ready for Deploy”), or
• Stronger DoD so fewer intermediate states are needed

Keeping artifacts current: ownership, routines, and working agreements

Clear ownership without creating bottlenecks

Each artifact has a primary accountability, but keeping artifacts current is a team responsibility:

• Product Backlog: the Product Owner is accountable for ordering and clarity; the whole team contributes to refinement and understanding.
• Sprint Backlog: Developers own it and update it continuously; the Product Owner collaborates when scope trade-offs are needed.
• Increment: the Scrum Team is responsible for delivering it; Developers ensure it meets the Definition of Done.

Simple routines that prevent drift

Common pitfalls (and how to avoid them)

Pitfall: hidden work

What it looks like: urgent fixes, stakeholder requests, or technical chores handled outside the Sprint Backlog.

Why it hurts: progress becomes unpredictable; Sprint forecasts become meaningless; the team appears slower than it is.

How to avoid it: create a working agreement: “If we do it, it goes on the Sprint Backlog (or Product Backlog if not in the Sprint).” If interruptions are frequent, make them visible as capacity allocation (e.g., reserve a percentage for support) rather than hiding them.

Pitfall: side lists and parallel backlogs

What it looks like: personal to-do lists, separate spreadsheets, or another tool used for “real priorities.”

Why it hurts: ordering conflicts, duplicated effort, and mistrust (“the backlog isn’t real”).

How to avoid it: enforce a single source of truth: the Product Backlog for upcoming work and the Sprint Backlog for current work. If another list is needed (e.g., incident queue), define how it feeds into the Product Backlog and how it affects Sprint capacity.

Pitfall: unclear ownership of updates

What it looks like: nobody updates the board; items sit in the wrong state; acceptance criteria are missing; “Done” is debated every Sprint.

Why it hurts: inspection events become opinion-based instead of evidence-based.

How to avoid it: agree on explicit responsibilities: who updates task status, who ensures PBIs have acceptance criteria before selection, and what evidence is required to mark a PBI Done. Keep these agreements visible near the board or in the team’s working agreement document.

Pitfall: “Done” is flexible depending on pressure

What it looks like: skipping tests or documentation to “hit the Sprint,” then promising to fix it later.

Why it hurts: quality debt accumulates; the Increment stops being reliably releasable.

How to avoid it: treat the Definition of Done as non-negotiable. If time is tight, reduce scope (fewer PBIs) rather than reducing quality. If the DoD is consistently hard to meet, improve engineering practices or adjust the DoD thoughtfully, but do not silently bypass it.