The Scrum Artifacts
In archeology, an artifact is an object of cultural significance. In medicine, artifacts are something not normally present, or unexpected. In Scrum, our use of the word “artifact” is closer to the way software developers use it: important information needed during the development of a product.
Scrum has three artifacts:
- Product Backlog
- Sprint Backlog
- Increment
Each artifact contains information important to a Scrum Team and their stakeholders. This information details the product being developed, the actions needed to produce it and other information relevant to create value.
Each artifact has a “commitment” which describes the goal for the artifact. Commitments provide clear objectives against which progress can be measured.
Artifacts and their commitments are designed to maximize transparency of this key information so that everyone inspecting them has the same understanding and a basis for adaptation.
The artifacts and their commitments are:
| Artifact | Commitment |
|---|---|
| Product Backlog | Product Goal |
| Sprint Backlog | Sprint Goal |
| Increment | Definition of Done |
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