How Often Are Sprint Reviews Conducted or Held

September 29, 2024

6 min read

How Often Are Sprint Reviews Conducted or Held

Think Sprint Reviews are optional? That’s like cooking blindfolded. Tasting along the way lets you adapt before you serve something nobody can stomach.

How Often Are Sprint Reviews Conducted or Held?

Sprint reviews are held at the conclusion of each Sprint, which is generally every 2-4 weeks. While intended as an opportunity for inspection and adaptation, many teams mistakenly treat them as mere demos, missing out on valuable feedback that could shape the next Sprint’s direction.

Imagine you’re standing over a pot of stew. The smell is intoxicating, but something’s off. So, you take a quick taste. Have you overdone it on the salt? Should you throw in some potatoes to balance it out? Or maybe the meat’s a bit too tough—does it need more time, or perhaps a pinch of something to tenderize it?

A dejected soccer player sitting inside the net Caption:Post-game feedback is great too bad it doesn’t rewrite the scoreboard

These tiny checks help you steer things in the right direction before it’s too late to turn back. Skipping these taste tests or waiting until it’s supposed to be “done” might leave you with a disaster beyond saving—a stew that’s so salty, no amount of fiddling can fix it. Checking in along the way isn’t about perfection; it’s about ensuring you don’t end up with a pot full of regrets.

Skipping those taste tests means risking a ruined stew. But is it really necessary to conduct a Sprint Review after every Sprint?

Are Sprint Reviews Mandatory After Every Sprint?

Yes, the Sprint Review is a mandatory Scrum event that happens at the end of each Sprint. The Scrum Guide states that the framework is immutable, meaning no event, including the Sprint Review, should be skipped or altered.

Building products isn’t about sticking to Scrum for the sake of it. Scrum is just a tool to help teams reach the real target—delivering value. If Sprint Reviews aren’t getting you closer to that, it’s not the framework that’s broken; it’s something deeper that needs fixing.

Do you feel like Sprint Reviews are just an obligation? You wouldn’t be the first to wonder if you can skip or shuffle them around.

Can Sprint Reviews Be Skipped or Rescheduled?

No, Sprint Reviews shouldn’t be skipped or rescheduled under normal circumstances. They’re vital in maintaining Scrum’s inspect-and-adapt cycle. Adjusting or omitting them indicates there might be an issue with how the reviews are conducted or perceived.

Holding a Sprint Review to check a box is like hiding from the imaginary Scrum police. It’s pointless. Understanding why the team wants to skip or move it would be more beneficial. Are they racing to deliver shippable increments? Is it because stakeholders are no-shows? Dig into the reason. Identify the root cause. Then, experiment with ways to restore its value.

Skipping the occasional Sprint Review might not seem like a big deal. But what happens if this becomes a habit?

What Happens If a Sprint Review Isn’t Held Regularly?

When Sprint Reviews aren’t held regularly, feedback loops break down, leading to misalignment and reduced stakeholder engagement. This reduced feedback creates an environment where issues go unresolved and the product can drift off course—sometimes without anyone noticing.

Water running over hands in a shower. Caption:After thousands of showers, it’s still possible to forget the shampoo.

Do you know those routines we’ve done so many times that they have become automatic—almost invisible? Like taking a shower. I’ve probably showered thousands of times, the steps ingrained in muscle memory. But every now and then, I’ll step out, hair limp and flat, only to realize I forgot the shampoo. How? It’s a process I know inside and out, yet it slips through the cracks.

This hurdle is where Scrum’s heartbeat truly pulses. The Sprint often gets a bad rap as a rigid structure—sometimes deservedly so, with the acrobatics teams perform to avoid carryover work. But at its core, the Sprint isn’t about restriction. It’s a checkpoint. It’s the nudge to inspect and adapt, making sure the goal still makes sense and we’re moving toward it. Think of it like a shower timer buzzing at four minutes, reminding you, “Hey, don’t forget the shampoo!”

Without these reminders, it’s easy to assume everything’s on track—until we’re blindsided by how far we’ve drifted. Routine can lull us into believing we’re still heading in the right direction when, in reality, we’re miles off course.

When you’ve made the same stew a thousand times, it’s easy to skip tasting the base before adding the meat. But doing that cheats you out of catching mistakes—like realizing you’ve sprinkled in sugar instead of salt.

Skipping the taste test is risky, but combining multiple steps can be just as detrimental.

Is It Okay to Combine Sprint Reviews With Other Scrum Events?

It’s generally not advisable to combine Sprint Reviews with other Scrum events. Each event has a distinct purpose in promoting transparency and adaptation. Merging them may seem efficient but often results in blurred focus and lost value. The impact? Feedback loops can break down quickly.

Each tasting lets you zero in on specific flavors, adjusting as you go. The same goes for Scrum events: each focuses on a distinct aspect of the framework. Merge them, and you’re mixing up a big pot of confusion, losing clarity on what’s happening.

A bride holding dying older husband. Caption:Your Scrum events deserve the same separation as funerals and weddings.

Is Sprint Review a Scrum Ceremony?

The Sprint Review is one of the five core Scrum events outlined in the Scrum Guide. While many refer to it as a “ceremony,” the term has never been officially used in any version of the Scrum Guide.

It’s unclear where the phrase “ceremony” gained traction. However, over time, the word “ceremony” began to carry negative connotations, suggesting unnecessary or excessive formalism, contradicting the Scrum framework’s lightweight and adaptable nature.

Recognizing this, the creators of the Scrum Guide intentionally avoided using “ceremonies” in favor of “events,” which better reflects the purpose-driven and outcome-focused nature of these activities. Instead of being seen as rituals to be performed for the sake of tradition, the events are meant to serve a clear purpose in inspecting, adapting, and enhancing the team’s work.

Thus, while it’s common to still hear people refer to Scrum events as “ceremonies,” the correct and more neutral term per the Scrum Guide is “events.”

The shift from “ceremonies” to “events” emphasizes purpose over ritual. So, what exactly is the purpose of a Sprint Review, and how does it contribute to the team’s ability to inspect and adapt?

What Is the Purpose of a Sprint Review?

The purpose of a Sprint Review is to inspect completed work and adapt the Product Backlog and Product Goal based on feedback. It’s a collaborative event that aligns the team with stakeholders, but it’s often misunderstood as merely a demo rather than a working session.

“The purpose of the Sprint Review is to inspect the outcome of the Sprint and determine future adaptations. The Scrum Team presents the results of their work to key stakeholders and progress toward the Product Goal is discussed.”
- Scrum Guide

Imagine you’re proudly showing off your stew, listing every ingredient and all the effort it took—only to miss the disappointment on your guests’ faces when they taste it. If it’s just about showcasing your work, you risk glossing over the feedback that matters. Worse, what if your guests suddenly decide they don’t want stew but prefer dessert instead? It doesn’t matter how perfect your stew is; when all they crave is cheesecake, no amount of savory perfection can satisfy a sweet tooth.

A blue vested small dog with a goofy expression, tongue out. Caption:Affection is blind... and sometimes a little delusional.

If all you’re doing is showcasing, you’re missing the point. Just like in cooking, the real value comes from understanding preferences and adapting. So, how can Sprint Reviews be more effective in capturing meaningful feedback and driving adaptation?

How Can Sprint Reviews Be Made More Effective?

To make Sprint Reviews more effective, focus on how the work aligns with the Product Goal rather than just showcasing completed Product Backlog Items. Shifting to strategic discussions transforms the review into a platform for inspecting progress and adapting plans.

Treating the Sprint Review like a demo turns it into a one-way performance—like watching a movie where feedback is unwelcome. But this isn’t the time for popcorn and silence. It’s a chance for stakeholders to help shape the product’s direction. Make it clear that their input doesn’t just matter—it drives priorities and backlog refinement.

TLDR

Skipping a taste test while cooking is a recipe for disaster, and it’s the same with Sprint Reviews. Without them, teams can quickly go off course, delivering something no one asked for. A review isn’t just a nice-to-have—it keeps your dish (or product) on track.