Agile Scrum artifacts are key pieces of information used by Scrum teams and stakeholders to define the product under development, the steps to build it, and the progress made throughout the project. The three primary artifacts in Scrum are:

• Product Backlog
• Sprint Backlog
• Increment

These artifacts serve as metadata points, offering insights into sprint performance and ensuring alignment with Agile principles. They are indispensable for fostering transparency, enabling inspection, and facilitating adaptation — core pillars of Scrum.

Both the Product Backlog and the Sprint Backlog are living documents that evolve. The Product Backlog evolves through refinement, changing requirements, and new insights. The Sprint Backlog evolves during the Sprint as tasks are updated and progress is made.

Product Backlog refinement is an ongoing collaborative process where the Product Owner and the Developers review and adjust the details, estimates, and priorities of Product Backlog items.

The Scrum Team decides when and how to refine the backlog, usually spending no more than 10% of the Developers’ capacity. While the Product Owner may update items anytime, they work independently from the Developers — though they can seek support from other members as needed.