Stakeholders
I have found contradictory information regarding if stakeholders are "required" to attend scrum events. I have seen they are encouraged to attend sprint review, that they are invited. Is it mandatory for them to attend anything. In one article on scrum.org , it said the PO is required to have the key stakeholders attend the sprint review? Thank you
In the Scrum Guide, the only event where stakeholders are mentioned as taking an active role is the Sprint Review, where the Scrum Team presents the results they have achieved and collaborates on the next steps. Not having at least some key stakeholders present at the Sprint Review would make it challenging to achieve all of the intended outcomes.
However, the Sprint Review doesn't have to be the only place or time for the team to collaborate with stakeholders.
Generally, the Product Owner represents the (potentially conflicting) needs of the stakeholders on the Scrum Team. To effectively represent their needs, the Product Owner will likely need to communicate fairly regularly with stakeholders about the changing context. In addition, one of the services that the Scrum Master provides to the Product Owner is "facilitating stakeholder collaboration as requested or needed".
In some contexts, the Developers (and the Product Owner) may not need to wait for the Sprint Review to collaborate with some stakeholders and get feedback. This depends on the type of work being done and the relationship between the Scrum Team and stakeholders.
In my opinions they should not only particiapte in the review,but many times in the refinement of the backlog.
In teams that work with complex and legacy systems, the participation of stakeholders who work with the product on a daily basis, devs who can look into the guts of the systems, and the PO who created the product vision, and the product goal, has everything to make backlog refinement sessions more productive, helping the PO to be more precise in creating and prioritizing stories.
Another advantage of this strategy is that future good P.Oś can born among current stakeholders
It's a privilege for a stakeholder to be invited to a Sprint Review. An invitation shows that the team believes the stakeholder's contribution is likely to provide timely business intelligence, and that he or she will be constructive in helping to inspect and adapt the Product Backlog. A stakeholder is not guaranteed a place. Ultimately the Product Owner decides how the Product Backlog is updated.
The Product Owner can work with stakeholders at any time on such activities. Moreover, stakeholders should make themselves available during the Sprint to answer any questions team members may have, but without interfering in their work. The Sprint Review presents a formal opportunity to inspect and adapt the Product Backlog -- with the team and invited stakeholders together in the same space -- and is the last responsible moment to do so.
To be honest the Sprint Review won't be very effective and will be a waste of time without them. A stakeholder has stake and skin in the game for the product being built, and I'd want them there.
What do you think might happen to the empirical process, the value of the Sprint Review, and to stakeholder engagement overall if key stakeholders do not attend?
How might the Product Owner foster relationships with stakeholders so they see the Sprint Review as essential to shaping the product, rather than just a meeting they’re invited to?