Handling impediments

What effect do these impediments have upon the ability to make a commitment?

The Product Backlog is a list of items that represent work needed for a Product.  The Sprint Backlog is a list of items that represent work needed to accomplish the Sprint Goal.  There is no reason to include impediments in either of those. 

For the teams I have been involved, Impediments are handled by the person(s) on the Scrum Team that are best suited to address them.  They usually are not things that add value, they detract from the ability to add value. The impediments are handled by determining who is best to address it and then holding each other accountable as professionals to get work done. It is usually easy to realize when an impediment has been addressed so a need to track them is not something I see as needed. 

Thanks Both.

Daniel, surely seeing them upfront helps with transparency? I understand that smaller items can be handled by the Team, and maybe does not need tracking. On the other hand, they might be blockers that the Team has to solve to be able to deliver their commitment. Some Impediments could be longer term, lack of training, or people pulled onto other projects.

Those "impediments" sound like work which the team has "upfront" visibility of, can estimate and deal with, and which ought to be captured in the Product Backlog for that reason. Like any other work, it can then be planned into a Sprint in order to meet a Sprint Goal.

Daniel, surely seeing them upfront helps with transparency? 

Your original question was about how other teams handle impediments. I provided you with the way that most of the teams I have been involved with did so. 

As @Ian points out that if you know the impediment, can estimate it, and deal with it then why would you not include them as work that is needed in order to deliver a valuable increment? In those cases, there can be transparency.  That would be another way that a team might handle impediments. 

I believe that there is no "correct" way to handle impediments.  I feel that each impediment should be handled uniquely and not apply a specific template.  Each impediment is an opportunity to learn and adapt.  

Thanks for the ideas and discussion. 

I agree with all the above feedback. I would also add that an impediments log can be created to identify obstacles to achieving a sprint goal and updates posted as they get resolved. This log can be a part of information radiators highlighting issues requiring  quick resolution to enable the smooth flow of work.