Agile can feel like its own dialect. Between the sprints, stand-ups, and story points, it’s easy for a new Scrum Master to feel like they need a decoder ring just to follow a meeting.
But learning the language isn’t about jargon. It’s about leading with clarity, removing confusion, and helping your team deliver.
This is your no-fluff glossary. A crash course in the 15 essential Scrum terms every Scrum Master should not just know, but actually use. You’ll get clear definitions, see why each term matters, and learn how it shows up in real work
Whether you’re prepping for your first sprint or coaching a seasoned team, this is the language of momentum.
What Is Scrum? (Quick Primer)
Scrum is an Agile framework that helps teams build products in short, focused cycles. It’s built around fast feedback, transparency, and continuous improvement.
The Scrum Master is the team’s coach and process protector. Your job isn’t to boss people around — it’s to remove obstacles, ensure the team follows the process, and help them get better sprint by sprint.
Scrum is made up of:
- Roles: Product Owner, Scrum Master, Developers
- Artifacts: Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, Increment
- Events: Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review, Sprint Retrospective
The Sprint Lifecycle (How It All Fits Together)
- Backlog Refinement → Get work ready
- Sprint Planning → Pick the work and plan it
- Daily Scrum → Sync every day
- Sprint Review → Show what’s done
- Sprint Retrospective → Improve the way you work
- Repeat
Understanding how each piece fits makes the terms below much easier to use in practice.
The 15 Essential Scrum Terms
1. Sprint Planning
What it is: A time-boxed meeting where the team decides what to deliver in the next sprint and how they’ll do it.
Why it matters: Without a clear plan, the sprint becomes a guessing game. This meeting gives direction and sets the team up for success.
When it’s used: First day of every sprint (usually every 1–4 weeks).
Example: The team selects backlog items, defines a Sprint Goal, and discusses how to tackle the work.
💡 Keep it tight. If it runs long, you’re trying to do too much.
2. Daily Scrum
What it is: A 15-minute team huddle to align and uncover blockers.
Why it matters: It keeps the team aligned and surfaces problems early.
When it’s used: Every day during the sprint.
Example: “Yesterday I tested the profile page, today I’ll debug the login, I’m blocked by test data issues.”
🔍 Common Mistake: Treating it like a status report. It’s not for the Scrum Master — it’s for the team.
3. Sprint Review
What it is: A meeting to demo the work done and get feedback from stakeholders.
Why it matters: Keeps stakeholders engaged and ensures the team is building the right thing.
When it’s used: End of each sprint.
Example: The team shows the latest features to users and collects input for the next backlog.
💡 Skip the slides. Let the product do the talking.
4. Sprint Retrospective
What it is: : A team-only meeting to reflect and improve.
Why it matters: This is where real process improvement happens.
When it’s used: After the Sprint Review, before the next Sprint Planning.
Example: The team realizes code reviews took too long and agrees to use pairing next sprint.
🔍 Don’t just focus on what went wrong. Celebrate what worked, too.
5. Product Backlog
What it is: A prioritized list of everything that could be built. Owned by the Product Owner.
Why it matters: It’s the source of truth. It keeps the team focused on valuable work.
When it’s used: Constantly. It evolves every week.
Example: Stories, bugs, tech debt — all live here, ranked by business value.
💡 Groom it weekly. A messy backlog slows everything down.
6. User Story
What it is: A brief description of a feature from the user’s point of view.
Why it matters: Keeps the team focused on real needs, not just technical work.
When it’s used: During backlog creation and refinement.
Example: “As a customer, I want to reset my password so I can access my account.”
💡 No user, no goal? It’s not a user story.
7. Story Points
What it is: A relative estimate of effort, complexity, and risk.
Why it matters: Helps teams understand capacity without arguing about hours.
When it’s used: Backlog refinement and Sprint Planning.
Example: A small UI tweak might be 1 point; an API integration could be 8.
🔍 Don’t link points to hour. It’s about comparing size, not time.
8. Epic
What it is: A large feature or initiative that spans multiple user stories.
Why it matters: Helps plan at a higher level and organize related work.
When it’s used: Product planning and roadmapping.
Example: An “Account Settings” epic might include user profile, password reset, and email preferences.
💡 Break epics down early. If it’s been around for months, it’s too big.
9. Burn-down Chart
What it is: A graph showing work remaining vs. time.
Why it matters: It helps track progress and detect problems early.
When it’s used: Reviewed during the sprint, especially in stand-ups.
Example: If your chart is flat mid-sprint, delivery is stalled. Investigate.
🔍 Don’t use it to shame people. Use it to spot issues and adapt.
10. Backlog Refinement
What it is: Regular meetings to clarify and prepare items in the backlog.
Why it matters: Ensures upcoming sprints run smoothly.
When it’s used: Weekly or biweekly.
Example: The team discusses upcoming stories, adds acceptance criteria, and estimates complexity.
💡 Stay ahead of Sprint Planning. Don’t show up cold.
11. Definition of Done (DoD)
What it is: A shared checklist of what “done” really means.
Why it matters: Ensures consistent quality across work items.
When it’s used: Applied throughout the sprint, especially in reviews.
Example: “Code merged, tests pass, deployed to staging, documentation updated.”
🔍 Make it clear. No ambiguity allowed.
12. Velocity
What it is: The average number of story points a team completes per sprint.
Why it matters: Helps with forecasting and planning.
When it’s used: Sprint Planning, release planning.
Example: If your team averages 35 points, plan around that — not your wishful thinking.
💡 Don’t compare teams. Velocity is local, not a scoreboard.
13. Impediment
What it is: Anything slowing the team down.
Why it matters: It’s your job to remove these as Scrum Master.
When it’s used: Identified in Daily Scrums or anytime during the sprint.
Example: Waiting for designs, flaky test environments, unclear requirements.
🔍 If it’s slowing you down, speak up. Don’t sit on it.
14. Increment
What it is: The usable product slice delivered by the end of the sprint.
Why it matters: It’s the whole point. Working software.
When it’s used: Created every sprint.
Example: At Sprint 3, the product lets users log in, edit profiles, and reset passwords.
💡 Done = usable. Not “halfway there.”
15. Sprint Goal
What it is: The single objective the team commits to during the sprint.
Why it matters: Focuses the team and guides decision-making.
When it’s used: Defined during Sprint Planning.
Example: “Enable users to update their account details.”
🔍 No goal = random tasks. Set one every time.
Bonus: Quick Real-World Scenario
Let’s say you’re starting a new sprint:
- You begin with Backlog Refinement to prep stories.
- In Sprint Planning, the team selects stories and agrees on a Sprint Goal.
- Each day, the team syncs in the Daily Scrum, and flags an Impediment (the test server is down).
- Mid-sprint, the Burn-down Chart shows progress slowing. The Scrum Master steps in.
- At the end, the team demos the Increment in the Sprint Review.
- Finally, the team reflects in the Retrospective, agreeing to document bugs better next time.
That’s Scrum in action.
Wrap-Up: What to Do Next
These 15 terms aren’t trivia. They help you lead clearly, earn trust, and drive results.
Here’s your action plan:
- Bookmark this guide
- Share it with your team
- Revisit it before key Scrum events
- Use it to sharpen your practice, not just your terminology
- Check the below Cheat Sheet anytime you’re short on time and need answers fast
Learn the language. Lead with purpose. Build great things.
🔥If you liked this article, check out the next one where we share a quick guide about Scrumban.
Written by
Simina F.
| howtobecomeapm.com – Author
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