When sprint backlog items are not completed within the designated sprint, it’s important to follow a structured approach to address these unfinished tasks. Here’s what to do with sprint backlog items that are not done:

1. Move to the Next Sprint:
   • Unfinished items can be moved to the backlog of the next sprint. The team should evaluate their priority and the reasons for their incomplete status before moving them forward.
2. Re-Estimate and Reprioritize:
   • Before carrying items over, the team should re-estimate and re-prioritize them to ensure they align with the current goals and priorities.
3. Analyze the Causes:
   • It’s essential to conduct a retrospective to identify the root causes of why the items were not completed. Was it due to unforeseen complexities, dependencies, or external factors? Understanding these causes can help prevent similar issues in the future.
4. Adjust Future Planning:
   • Based on the analysis of causes, the team can make adjustments in future sprint planning. This might involve refining the estimation process, breaking down tasks into smaller pieces, or improving communication and collaboration.
5. Transparency and Communication:
   • Communicate openly with stakeholders about the unfinished items. Transparency is key in agile methodologies. Explain the reasons for the items not being completed and the team’s plan for addressing them.
6. Consider Scope Changes:
   • If there is a pattern of items frequently not being completed, it may be necessary to reassess the project scope or adjust stakeholder expectations. This could involve removing lower-priority items or reprioritizing work.
7. Inspect and Adapt:
   • The agile principle of “inspect and adapt” should guide the team’s actions. After each sprint, reflect on what went well and what could be improved to continually enhance the team’s performance.
8. Limit Work in Progress:
   • To prevent overcommitting and leaving items incomplete, the team should focus on limiting work in progress (WIP) during future sprints. Implementing a WIP limit can help maintain a manageable workload.
9. Encourage Continuous Improvement:
   • Encourage a culture of continuous improvement within the team. Regularly review and adjust the team’s processes, ensuring they are optimized for efficient delivery.
10. Use Retrospectives for Feedback:
    • Retrospectives are the ideal forum for discussing what went wrong and how to improve. Capture action items from retrospectives and track progress on addressing issues.
11. Monitor Progress and Cumulative Flow:
    • Keep a close eye on the progress of items in the sprint backlog and monitor the cumulative flow of work to identify bottlenecks or areas where improvements can be made.
12. Resist Blame and Foster Accountability:
    • It’s important to avoid assigning blame for unfinished work. Instead, focus on fostering accountability within the team and collaboratively finding solutions to obstacles.
13. Avoid Overcommitment:
    • Ensure the team is not overcommitting to sprint work. It’s better to undercommit and have work left over than to overcommit and risk compromising quality.
14. Support the Team:
    • Provide support and resources to help the team overcome obstacles and challenges that may hinder their ability to complete work.
15. Continuous Learning:
    • Treat unfinished work as an opportunity for learning and growth. Use it as a basis for understanding team performance and making data-driven improvements.

In the agile, incomplete sprint backlog items are not considered “failures.” They are opportunities to learn, adapt, and continuously improve the development process. By following these steps and maintaining an open, collaborative, and reflective approach, teams can address incomplete items effectively and work towards more successful sprints in the future.