AGILE Vocabulary

The founding document of Agile development, outlining 4 key values and 12 principles that prioritize individuals and interactions, working software, customer collaboration, and responding to change.

A popular Agile framework used to manage complex product development. It breaks work into short, time-boxed iterations called Sprints.

A visual workflow management method that focuses on visualizing work, limiting work-in-progress (WIP), and maximizing efficiency (flow).

A set period of time (usually 2-4 weeks) during which specific work must be completed and made ready for review. Also known as an "Iteration."

A short, simple description of a feature told from the perspective of the person who desires the new capability, usually a user or customer. Format: "As a [role], I want [feature] so that [benefit]."

The role responsible for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Development Team. They manage the Product Backlog.

The role responsible for promoting and supporting Scrum. They act as a servant-leader, helping the team remove impediments and follow Agile practices.

An ordered list of everything that is known to be needed in the product. It is the single source of requirements for any changes to be made to the product.

The set of Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint, plus a plan for delivering the product Increment and realizing the Sprint Goal.

A short (15-minute) daily meeting for the Development Team to plan work for the next 24 hours and identify any blockers.

A meeting held at the end of the Sprint to inspect the Increment and adapt the Product Backlog if needed. Stakeholders are often present.

A meeting held after the Sprint Review and before the next Sprint Planning. The team discusses what went well, what didn't, and how to improve.

A metric used to measure the amount of work a team can tackle during a single Sprint, often measured in Story Points.

A graphic representation of work left to do versus time. It helps the team predict when all of the work will be completed.

The sum of all the Product Backlog items completed during a Sprint and the value of the increments of all previous Sprints. It must be in usable condition.

A shared understanding of what it means for work to be complete. It ensures transparency and quality (e.g., "Code reviewed, tested, and documented").

A large body of work that can be broken down into a number of smaller stories. It typically spans multiple Sprints.

A unit of measure for expressing an estimate of the overall effort that will be required to fully implement a Product Backlog item or any other piece of work.

A version of a product with just enough features to be usable by early customers who can then provide feedback for future product development.

The practice of setting a fixed amount of time for each planned activity. Sprints and meetings in Agile are strictly timeboxed.

The act of adding detail, estimates, and order to items in the Product Backlog. This is an ongoing process.

A task aimed at answering a question or gathering information rather than producing shippable product. Used for research or design before estimating a complex story.

A team that has all the skills necessary to create the product increment (e.g., developers, testers, designers) without depending on others outside the team.

Anything that stops or slows down the team's progress. The Scrum Master is tasked with removing these blockers.

A philosophy that originated in manufacturing (Toyota) which focuses on minimizing waste and maximizing customer value; a major influence on Agile.