The Sprint is the heart of Scrum: a fixed time-box of one month or less during which a done Increment is created. The Sprint length remains fixed once the Sprint begins and cannot be changed or extended, which creates a stable cadence for inspection and adaptation. Every Sprint is guided by a single Sprint Goal that gives the team a specific focus and encourages unity of effort. Only the Product Owner has the authority to cancel a Sprint, and they typically do so when the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete, such as when market conditions or strategic direction shifts. If a Sprint is cancelled, any completed Product Backlog items are reviewed and may be accepted into the baseline for future reference, ensuring that finished work is not lost.
Scrum defines five events that structure each Sprint. Sprint Planning defines the work to be performed and produces the Sprint Backlog; for a one-month Sprint, it is time-boxed to a maximum of eight hours and addresses three topics: why the Sprint is valuable, what can be done, and how the chosen work will be accomplished. The Daily Scrum is a fifteen-minute event for Developers to inspect progress toward the Sprint Goal and adapt the plan for the next day of work; only Developers are required to attend, and the output is an updated plan rather than a status report. The Sprint Review is a working meeting at the end of the Sprint, time-boxed to four hours for a one-month Sprint, where the team inspects the Increment and adapts the Product Backlog with stakeholders. The Sprint Retrospective, time-boxed to three hours for a one-month Sprint, is the team's opportunity to inspect and improve their process, relationships, tools, and Definition of Done. A new Sprint begins immediately after the previous Sprint's Retrospective concludes, keeping the cadence unbroken.