One sprint, start to finish, then the same shape repeats.
For each ceremony: what it is, who attends from each side, what comes out of it, and what the client contributes.
Durations in hours are not listed here; the shape is what we commit to.
Start of cycle
Sprint planning
The team and product owner select backlog items that fit the sprint capacity and agree a sprint goal.
Stories are clarified so acceptance criteria are unambiguous before build starts.
Who: Product owner (client side), project lead, designers and engineers on the sprint
Out: Sprint goal, committed backlog for this cycle, open questions closed or parked
Client: Prioritise, answer scope questions, confirm what “done” means for each story
Every working day
Daily standup
A short sync for the delivery team: what moved, what is next, what is blocked.
It is not a status meeting for executives and it is not a place to redesign the product.
Who: Delivery team; client product owner optional unless a blocker needs a decision
Out: Visible blockers, adjusted daily plan, no new scope without a change path
Client: Be reachable for blockers that only you can unblock
When priorities shift
Mid-sprint change requests
A mid-sprint change request is logged against the backlog.
If it is critical, the team and product owner replan the current sprint together and drop or defer an equal amount of committed work.
If it can wait, it is groomed into a later sprint so the current sprint goal stays intact.
Who: Product owner and project lead decide impact; engineers estimate the swap
Out: Updated sprint commitment or a parked backlog item with a target sprint
Client: Say whether the change is critical now or can wait; accept the trade-off of deferred work
End of build window
Sprint review
Working software for the sprint goal is shown against acceptance criteria.
A sprint review is not a sales demo: it is an acceptance forum.
Items that meet the definition of done are signed off; the rest return to the backlog with a clear reason.
Who: Product owner (or named delegate with authority), project lead, relevant engineers
Out: Accepted items, rejected or deferred items with notes, updated product understanding
Client: Attend or send a delegate who can accept or reject; if unavailable, the review is rescheduled and work stays in review until sign-off
Team only, after review
Retrospective
The delivery team inspects how the sprint ran: what helped, what slowed work, what to change next cycle.
Process improvements are owned by the team; they are not a client complaint session.
Who: Delivery team and scrum master or project lead
Out: One or two concrete process changes for the next sprint
Client: Not required; feedback already captured in the review
Into the next cycle
Backlog grooming for the next sprint
Upcoming stories are refined so estimates and acceptance criteria are ready before the next planning session.
Velocity, for a client watching progress, is simply how much of the agreed type of work the team completed in recent sprints.
It is a planning signal, not a performance score against you or the team.
Who: Product owner and project lead; engineers as needed for estimate clarity
Out: Ordered, ready backlog for the next planning session
Client: Reconfirm priorities and business context for the next slice of scope