The core issue is a lack of shared understanding between the stakeholders and the Scrum Team about what “Done” means for the Product Backlog Items. The Sprint Review revealed this gap. Improving Backlog Refinement is key to ensuring items are clear, actionable, and understood by all before they are selected for a Sprint, thereby aligning expectations.

Scrum thrives on transparency and collaboration. The correct approach is for the Scrum Team to work together to help stakeholders understand that once a Sprint starts, the Sprint Goal is fixed. Changes that endanger the Sprint Goal should be deferred, and this framework protects the team’s focus. This is a collective responsibility, not just the Scrum Master’s or Product Owner’s.

The Daily Scrum is an internal planning event for the Developers. Its purpose is to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the Sprint Backlog for the next day’s work. The current behavior turns it into a status meeting, which reduces its effectiveness. The Scrum Master should coach the team to focus on synchronizing activities and planning collaboratively.

A core tenet of Scrum is that the people who do the work are best placed to estimate it. The Developers are responsible for the Sprint Backlog and their own forecasts. Imposing external estimates undermines their self-management and commitment. The Scrum Master should protect this principle and help the team improve their forecasting through inspection and adaptation in Retrospectives.

The Definition of Done is a formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality measures required for the product. The Developers are responsible for defining and upholding the Definition of Done. If it is too weak, it is the Developers who must own the problem and work to strengthen it, often guided by the Scrum Master.

Sprint Planning addresses two key topics: Topic One is *why* this Sprint is valuable (the Sprint Goal) and *what* can be done to achieve it (selecting Product Backlog items). Topic Two is *how* the work will be done. The described team has jumped straight to Topic Two (how/tasks) without first establishing the Sprint Goal and selecting the ‘what.’ This is a common anti-pattern.

Cross-functionality is a fundamental characteristic of a Scrum Team. It means the Developers, as a whole, possess all the skills necessary to create a valuable, Done Increment without depending on others outside the team. Embracing this reduces wait states, hand-offs, and dependencies, leading to faster flow and greater ownership of the product increment.

The Sprint Review is not just a demo; it is a working session. Its purpose is to inspect the outcome of the Sprint (the Increment) and gather feedback to adapt the Product Backlog. This is a collaborative effort with stakeholders to influence what comes next. Framing it this way encourages active participation and makes the event central to steering the product.

The Product Owner is responsible for the Product Backlog, but they do not have to manage it alone. Backlog Refinement is a collaborative activity where the Product Owner and Developers work together to clarify items, split them, and ensure the top of the backlog is ready for selection. This is the most practical and immediate way to address the problem.

The core issue is a lack of shared understanding between the stakeholders and the Scrum Team about what “Done” means for the Product Backlog Items. The Sprint Review revealed this gap. Improving Backlog Refinement is key to ensuring items are clear, actionable, and understood by all before they are selected for a Sprint, thereby aligning expectations.0