How to set up a successful review

The review is a scrum event that takes place at the end of a sprint. Its purpose is to inspect what has been done and what is going to be done with the team and the stakeholders. During this event there might be a demo to show what kind of stuff has been created. In the review a new plan is made to tackle the upcoming work, to check if we are still on the path to the intended long time result. Participants in a review should consist of stakeholders and leaders. They can relay their needs and strategic goals for the product that is being build.

Sprint goal

In the review the sprint goal of the next sprint is discussed. This goal can be seen as a mission statement; what are we going to do the next sprint. A sprint goal is typically a sentence describing the desired outcome. For example: after this sprint component X will be live. Or application Y will comply to all security demands. A sprint goal creates focus for the team, with a defined goal they understand what needs to be done. A sprint goal should be derived from strategic planning by leaders, so the purpose of the sprint becomes clear. All sprint goals should be achievable in the allotted time frame of a sprint.

Planning

During review the team and stakeholders should gather those stories that are needed to complete the sprint goal for the next sprint. They need to formulate which tasks needs to be done to achieve the goal. Leaders should express their strategic goals so the team can understand what operational goals are needed to achieve those. Stakeholders should do the same, they have needs that the product fulfils, and therefor they need to be clear on what they need. This planning part is not putting stuff on an agenda, it's about setting out lines how to approach the next sprint and to find out what is important.

Demo

During a review there is room for a demo, a moment to check if what the team has build lives up to what was expected. It is like a debrief of a mission. The team should present their accomplishments and check with stakeholders if they are satisfied. During the demo, stakeholders can be invited to work with the product so they will get more involved and are able to give direct feedback.

Dependencies

During the review all the stakeholders are present. This is an excellent setting to find out dependencies and talk about them. There are technical dependencies; like machinery that is needed to make the product. There are process dependencies; like other departments delivering a piece of the puzzle (like a service that is needed for this product). And there are people dependencies; people are needed, or knowledge is needed to make a successful increment on the product. All these dependencies should be mapped, to mitigate risk and to make the team able to make a proper planning during the planning event.

At the end of the review event there should be a sound sprint goal with a description of what to do. It should be clear who and what the team needs to be successful. And last but not least, the team ought to have obtained feedback so they can improve in the next iteration. All in all it is imperative that stakeholders and leaders are present during a demo to improve performance of the team. They need to share vision and their strategic goals. And they need to let themselves be heard so the team can collect feedback and improve.