Glossary
Key terms, defined without the buzzword bingo.
A
Agile Transformation
The process of adopting agile values, principles, and practices across an organisation. Often sold as a silver bullet and implemented as a top-down mandate – which is the surest way to make it fail.
B
Backlog
An ordered list of everything that might be needed in the product. The Product Backlog is owned by the Product Owner. A backlog with 300+ items that nobody ever touches is a graveyard, not a planning tool.
Burndown Chart
A graphical representation of work left to do versus time. Beloved by managers who want a simple progress indicator. Hated by teams who are forced to make the line go down regardless of reality.
C
Cargo Cult Agile
The faithful reproduction of Agile rituals without understanding their purpose – mimicking the form while missing the substance. Named after the cargo cults of the Pacific Islands, where islanders built replica airstrips hoping planes would land.
D
Daily Standup
A 15-minute daily event for the Scrum Team to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal. In most organisations, it has become a status report to management – the opposite of its intended purpose.
Definition of Done
A formal description of the state of the Increment when it meets the quality standards required for the product. Without a clear DoD, 'done' means different things to different people – and nothing gets truly finished.
Done Done
Colloquial term for work that is truly complete – meeting the Definition of Done, tested, reviewed, and deployable. Used to distinguish from 'done' which often means 'the developer says so'.
I
Increment
A concrete stepping stone toward the Product Goal. Each Increment must meet the Definition of Done, be additive to prior Increments, and be usable. 'We'll finish it next sprint' does not constitute an Increment.
K
Kanban
A method for visualising and managing work flow. Not a framework, not a process – a way of thinking about flow and limiting work in progress. Often compared to Scrum, which misses the point of both.
L
LeSS
Large-Scale Scrum. A framework for scaling Scrum to multiple teams. More faithful to the Scrum Guide than SAFe, but still an attempt to solve organisational problems with a framework.
N
Nexus
A framework for scaling Scrum, developed by Scrum.org. Designed for 3–9 Scrum Teams working on a single product. Simpler than SAFe, but scaling is still not a substitute for fixing team dynamics.
P
Product Owner
The Scrum Team member responsible for maximizing the value of the product and managing the Product Backlog. In practice, often reduced to a requirements collector or Jira admin – a problem that runs deep.
Psychological Safety
The belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. Google's Project Aristotle identified it as the #1 factor in high-performing teams.
R
Retrospective
A Sprint event where the Scrum Team inspects itself and creates a plan for improvements. When done right, it drives continuous improvement. When done wrong – which is most of the time – it's a ritual that changes nothing.
S
SAFe
Scaled Agile Framework. A framework for enterprise-scale agile. Critics argue it reintroduces exactly the heavyweight bureaucracy that Agile was designed to eliminate, under a new name.
Scrum Guide
The official definition of Scrum, written by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland. As of 2020, just 13 pages. Most organisations that claim to practice Scrum have never read it.
Scrum Master
The Scrum Team member responsible for enacting Scrum theory and practice. Not a project manager, not a secretary, not a meeting organizer – though most organisations use them as exactly that.
Servant Leader
A leadership style where the leader's primary role is to serve the team – removing impediments, enabling autonomy, and fostering growth. The theoretical ideal for a Scrum Master. The practical reality is often very different.
Sprint
A fixed time-box of one month or less in which the Scrum Team creates a usable, potentially releasable product increment. Sprints have consistent durations throughout the development effort.
Sprint Planning
A Scrum event that initiates the Sprint by laying out the work to be performed. Time-boxed to 8 hours for a one-month Sprint. In practice, often a meeting where commitments are made that everyone knows will not be kept.
Sprint Review
A Scrum event at the end of a Sprint to inspect the Increment and adapt the Product Backlog. Often reduced to a demo meeting where stakeholders say 'looks good' without engaging meaningfully.
Stakeholder
Anyone with an interest in the product or project who is not part of the Scrum Team. Managing stakeholder expectations is one of the most underrated skills in agile product development.
T
Technical Debt
The implied cost of rework caused by choosing a quick, limited solution instead of a better approach. Often accumulated in the name of agility. Ironically, it's one of the biggest obstacles to actually being agile.
V
Velocity
A measure of work completed per sprint, expressed in story points. One of the most misunderstood and misused metrics in Scrum – often treated as a productivity KPI rather than a planning tool.
W
WIP Limit
Work In Progress Limit. A constraint on the amount of work allowed in any stage of a workflow at one time. One of the most powerful tools for improving flow – and one of the most ignored.