Developer English guide
Scrum Meetings in English
Every Scrum ceremony explained: what it is, who attends, what questions get asked, and the vocabulary you need to participate with confidence.
Daily Standup
aka Daily ScrumA short synchronization meeting where each team member shares what they did yesterday, what they plan to do today, and any blockers standing in their way.
Who attends
Structure
What did I do yesterday?
“I finished the authentication refactor and opened a pull request for review.”
What will I do today?
“I'm going to start working on the password reset flow and review two open PRs.”
Do I have any blockers?
“I'm blocked on the API contract — I need the backend team to confirm the response format.”
Key vocabulary
- blocker
- something preventing you from progressing
- pull request (PR)
- a code change submitted for review
- in progress
- actively being worked on
- carry over
- to move unfinished work to the next day
- sync
- to align or share information with the team
Tips for non-native speakers
- Keep it to 15 minutes — go into detail in follow-up conversations, not the standup.
- Speak to the team, not to the Scrum Master.
- Focus on what moves the sprint forward, not just what you were busy with.
Sprint Planning
The team decides what work to take on in the upcoming sprint. The Product Owner presents the highest-priority backlog items, and developers discuss, estimate, and commit to a sprint goal.
Who attends
Structure
What is the sprint goal?
“The goal for this sprint is to deliver the user onboarding flow end to end.”
Which backlog items can we complete?
“We can commit to these six stories. The authentication epic alone is about 13 points.”
How will we get it done?
“We'll split the onboarding into three tasks: UI, API integration, and email confirmation.”
Key vocabulary
- sprint goal
- the single objective the team aims to achieve
- backlog item / user story
- a unit of work described from the user's perspective
- story points
- a relative measure of effort or complexity
- velocity
- the average number of story points completed per sprint
- capacity
- the available hours or effort for the sprint
- acceptance criteria
- conditions that must be met for a story to be done
Tips for non-native speakers
- Push back if the scope is too large — it's better to commit to less and deliver than to overpromise.
- Use phrases like "I'm not confident we can finish this in one sprint" to set expectations.
- Ask clarifying questions early: 'What does done look like for this story?'
Sprint Review
aka DemoThe team demonstrates the work completed during the sprint to stakeholders. It is an inspection of the increment and an opportunity to gather feedback before the next sprint.
Who attends
Structure
What did we complete?
“We completed the onboarding flow, the password reset feature, and the profile page.”
What did we not complete, and why?
“The email notification service was not finished — we ran into an issue with the third-party provider.”
What feedback do stakeholders have?
“The design team flagged that the button color doesn't match the brand guidelines.”
Key vocabulary
- increment
- the sum of all completed work in a sprint
- demo
- a live demonstration of working software
- stakeholder
- anyone with an interest in the product outcome
- done
- meeting all acceptance criteria and the definition of done
- carry forward
- to move incomplete work to the next sprint
Tips for non-native speakers
- Show working software, not slides — live demos are more credible.
- If something broke, say so clearly: "We ran into an issue and this story is carrying forward."
- Invite stakeholders to ask questions — the review is a conversation, not a presentation.
Sprint Retrospective
aka RetroThe team reflects on how the last sprint went — what worked, what didn't, and what to change. It is focused on the team's process, not the product.
Who attends
Structure
What went well?
“We had great communication this sprint and shipped the feature ahead of schedule.”
What could be improved?
“Our PR review cycle is too slow — some requests sat open for two days.”
What will we commit to changing?
“We'll set a 24-hour SLA for PR reviews and add a reminder to our standup checklist.”
Key vocabulary
- action item
- a concrete improvement committed to by the team
- went well
- something the team wants to keep doing
- improvement
- something the team wants to change
- process
- the way the team organizes and does its work
- psychological safety
- an environment where people feel safe to speak openly
Tips for non-native speakers
- Be specific — 'communication was bad' is less useful than 'we didn't flag blockers early enough'.
- Focus on systems and processes, not individual blame.
- Follow up on action items from the previous retro before closing the meeting.
Backlog Refinement
aka Backlog GroomingThe team reviews upcoming backlog items, clarifies requirements, adds detail, estimates effort, and orders items so that the next sprint planning runs smoothly.
Who attends
Structure
Is this story clear and ready?
“This story needs more detail — we don't have the mockups yet and the acceptance criteria are vague.”
How complex is this work?
“I'd estimate this at eight points. There's a lot of edge cases around the payment flow.”
What order should we work in?
“The authentication story should come first — the profile page depends on it.”
Key vocabulary
- ready
- a story is well-defined and can be pulled into a sprint
- estimate
- a rough measure of effort for a backlog item
- dependency
- work that must be completed before another item can start
- priority
- the relative order of importance of backlog items
- spike
- a research task used to reduce uncertainty before estimating
Tips for non-native speakers
- Aim to have the top of the backlog always 'ready' — two sprints ahead is a good target.
- Push back on vague stories: 'We can't estimate this without knowing the expected behavior.'
- Refinement is not estimation only — understanding the work is the main goal.
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