Distinctions
Is
- An initial setup period before regular sprint delivery begins.
- A way teams create space for discovery, planning, technical setup, or alignment before starting delivery work.
Is Not
- A substitute for continuous refinement, learning, and adaptation once delivery begins.
- Automatically harmful; the risk depends on whether it creates useful startup clarity or restores a hidden stage gate.
Boundary
Sprint Zero becomes suspect when it recreates a traditional initiation phase inside Scrum instead of enabling a team to begin empirical delivery sooner.
Systems
Relationships
| Relationship | Concept | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Can manifest | Lifecycle Smuggling | Sprint Zero can preserve upfront planning expectations under agile terminology. |
| Can support | Definition of Ready | Teams sometimes use Sprint Zero to establish readiness expectations before sprint work can flow. |