When is a Sprint considered fully completed?

In Agile software development, a sprint is considered fully completed when all of the work promised at the beginning of the sprint has been completed, and the product increment resulting from the sprint meets the acceptance criteria.

What needs to be completed by the end of the Sprint?

The purpose of a sprint is to deliver a usable, potentially shippable product increment at the end of each iteration. This means that all of the work committed to at the beginning of the sprint must be completed, and the resulting product must meet the acceptance criteria defined by the product owner.

There are several indicators that a sprint is fully completed. The first is that all of the work promised at the beginning of the sprint has been completed. This includes completing all user stories, fixing all defects, and completing any other tasks that were part of the sprint goal.

The second indicator is that the product increment resulting from the sprint meets the acceptance criteria. This means that the product is usable, meets the definition of done, and is potentially shippable.

It's important to note that a sprint is not considered fully completed until both of these conditions have been met. Simply completing all of the work promised at the beginning of the sprint is not enough if the resulting product does not meet the acceptance criteria. Similarly, meeting the acceptance criteria is not enough if all of the work promised at the beginning of the sprint has not been completed.

How to make sure you complete the Sprint at the right time

There are several ways to ensure that a sprint is fully completed. One is to have a thorough sprint planning session at the beginning of each sprint. During this session, the team should clearly define the scope of the sprint and make a commitment to completing all of the work within that scope.

Another way to ensure a fully completed sprint is to have regular sprint review meetings. During these meetings, the team should demonstrate the product increment to the product owner and other stakeholders, and gather feedback on whether it meets the acceptance criteria.

Finally, it's important to have a clear definition of done that includes both functional and non-functional requirements. This ensures that the product increment is not only usable, but also of high quality and ready for release.

Conclusion

In summary, a sprint is considered fully completed when all of the work promised at the beginning of the sprint has been completed, and the resulting product increment meets the acceptance criteria. Ensuring a fully completed sprint requires careful planning, regular review, and a clear definition of done.