Scrum Guide
Scrum Guide Revisions (Official Updates Still Current)
These are still the most current and official Scrum Guide Revisions (2020 – 2026).
Note: If you are looking for the current Interactive Scrum Guide, you can find it here.
Open The Interactive Scrum Guide
In 2020, Michael Vizdos created theinteractive scrum guide to accompany the work done by Ken Schwaber & Jeff Sutherland. This post outlines the changes made to the guide since the 2017 version of the Scrum Guide.
You can listen to a FREE Audio Book of the 2020 Scrum Guide (narrated by Michael Vizdos)here.
Like watching YouTube Videos? Take a look atsg20_playlist.mvizdos.com to watch the entire 2020 Scrum Guide on YouTube (curated by Michael Vizdos).
Scrum Guide Revisions: Even Less Prescriptive
Over the years, the Scrum Guide started getting a bit more prescriptive. The 2020 version aimed to bring Scrum back to being a minimally sufficient framework by removing or softening prescriptive language. e.g.removed Daily Scrum questions, soften language around PBI attributes, soften language around retro items in Sprint Backlog, shortened Sprint cancellation section, and more.
Scrum Guide Revisions: One Team, Focused on One Product
The goal was to eliminate the concept of a separate team within a team that has led to "proxy" or "us and them" behavior between thePO andDev Team. There is now just oneScrum Team focused on the same objective, with three different sets of accountabilities:PO,SM, andDevelopers.
Scrum Guide Revisions: Introduction of Product Goal
The 2020 Scrum Guide introduces the concept of aProduct Goal to provide focus for the Scrum Team toward a larger valuable objective. EachSprint should bring the product closer to the overall Product Goal.
Scrum Guide Revisions: A Home for Sprint Goal, Definition of Done, and Product Goal
Previous Scrum Guides described Sprint Goal and Definition of Done without really giving them an identity. They were not quite artifacts but were somewhat attached to artifacts. With the addition of Product Goal, the 2020 version provides more clarity around this. Each of the three artifacts now contain 'commitments' to them. For the Product Backlog it is the Product Goal, the Sprint Backlog has the Sprint Goal, and the Increment has the Definition of Done (now without the quotes). They exist to bring transparency and focus toward the progress of each artifact.
Scrum Guide Revisions: Self-Managing over Self-Organizing
Previous Scrum Guides referred to Development Teams as self-organizing, choosing who and how to do work. With more of a focus on the Scrum Team, the 2020 version emphasizes a self-managing Scrum Team, choosing who, how, and what to work on.
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Scrum Guide Revisions: Three Sprint Planning Topics
In addition to the Sprint Planning topics of "What" and "How", the 2020 Scrum Guide places emphasis on a third topic, "Why", referring to the Sprint Goal.
Scrum Guide Revisions: Overall Simplification of Language for a Wider Audience
The 2020 Scrum Guide has placed an emphasis on eliminating redundant and complex statements as well as removing any remaining inference to IT work (e.g. testing, system, design, requirement, etc). The Scrum Guide is now less than 13 pages.
[Please note: The original source for this page and all of the past revisions to the Scrum Guide is locatedhere.]