Sprint review vs retrospective
The sprint review and the sprint retrospective are the two Scrum events that close a sprint. In the review, the Scrum Team and stakeholders inspect what was built and decide what to do next with the product. In the retrospective, the Scrum Team inspects how it worked and plans improvements to its quality and effectiveness.
The longer version
The Scrum Guide 2020 gives each event a purpose in one sentence. The Sprint Review exists "to inspect the outcome of the Sprint and determine future adaptations". The Sprint Retrospective exists "to plan ways to increase quality and effectiveness". One looks outward at the product and the people it is for. The other looks inward at individuals, interactions, processes, tools and the Definition of Done, which are the elements the Guide lists for inspection.
Attendance follows from the purpose. At the review the Scrum Team presents the results of its work to key stakeholders, and the conversation can lead to changes in the Product Backlog. The retrospective is described as the Scrum Team inspecting its own sprint. The Guide names no attendee beyond the Scrum Team, and teams commonly hold it without stakeholders or managers so that people speak plainly. Its output is a short list of changes to the way the team works. The Guide says the most impactful ones are addressed as soon as possible and may be added to the Sprint Backlog for the next sprint.
Order and length are set by the Guide as well. The review is the second to last event of the sprint, timeboxed to a maximum of four hours for a one-month sprint. The retrospective concludes the sprint and is timeboxed to a maximum of three hours for a one-month sprint. Both are usually shorter when the sprint is shorter. Holding the review first lets the retrospective take stakeholder reactions into account. Merging the two into one meeting tends to starve the retrospective, since talk about the product crowds out talk about the team.
Common questions
What is the difference between a sprint review and a sprint retrospective?
The two events look at different things. At a sprint review the Scrum Team and its stakeholders examine what the sprint produced and decide what to do next with the product. At a sprint retrospective the Scrum Team examines how the sprint went for the people doing the work and picks changes to its own process.
Which comes first, the sprint review or the retrospective?
The sprint review comes first. The Scrum Guide 2020 calls the review the second to last event of the sprint and says the retrospective concludes the sprint, so the team hears stakeholder feedback before it reflects on how it worked.
Who attends the sprint review and the sprint retrospective?
The sprint review is attended by the Scrum Team and the key stakeholders it presents its work to. The sprint retrospective is for the Scrum Team, meaning the Product Owner, the Scrum Master and the Developers, and teams generally keep stakeholders and line managers out of it.
How long are the sprint review and the retrospective?
The Scrum Guide 2020 sets a maximum of four hours for the sprint review and three hours for the sprint retrospective when the sprint is one month long. For shorter sprints the Guide says both events are usually shorter, without giving figures.
Can the sprint review and the retrospective be combined?
Scrum defines them as two separate events with different purposes. Running them back to back on the same day is common, while folding them into a single meeting usually means stakeholders are present for a conversation the team needs to have alone.
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