Scrum users must frequently inspect Scrum artifacts and progress toward a Sprint Goal to detect undesirable variances. However, the frequency of their inspection should not affect their work. Inspections are most beneficial when diligently performed by skilled inspectors at the point of work.

In the Scrum framework, it is important for Scrum Teams to deliver a valuable Increment as frequently as they can — at least once per Sprint. Each Increment brings the team and its stakeholders one step closer to a valuable Product Goal. Without this, it is difficult to learn about what else is needed and to reduce the risk of complex work. The Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the work done by the developers.

Empiricism in Scrum is an approach whereby the team continuously learns and improves from mistakes. In Scrum, empiricism means that the team makes decisions and changes based on what the customer is experiencing, rather than what the developers intended them to experience. Additionally, the empiricism meaning in Scrum is the concept that customer feedback directly impacts the team’s actions.

The Scrum framework consists of Scrum Teams and their associated roles, events, artifacts, and rules. Each component within the framework serves a specific purpose and is essential to Scrum's success and usage. The rules of Scrum bind together the events, roles, and artifacts, governing the relationships and interactions between them.

The Product Goal describes a long-term objective or future state of the product. It is a vital part of the Product Backlog, referred to in the Scrum Guide as a commitment. The Scrum Team uses the Product Goal to plan against and maintain focus.

Product Goals were added to the 2020 version of the Scrum Guide. The idea of incorporating this concept was to emphasize the importance of having a longer-term goal than a Sprint Goal. Plenty of research on self-managed, goal-oriented teams shares that goals give focus.

According to the Scrum Guide, “The Development Team is responsible for all estimates”.

The Scrum Guide states that the Scrum framework is designed to deliver products of the highest possible value. It also states that “the Product Owner is responsible for maximizing the value of the product resulting from work of the Development Team” (guide). For the Product Owner to be able to decide what Product Backlog Items will maximize the value, he or she has to take into account what it will cost to deliver these items.

We already concluded that Scrum is a framework that is suited for complex work. We also concluded that in this domain the best estimates are made by those that perform the actual work. The Scrum Guide agrees and is very clear on this: “The Development Team is responsible for all estimates. The Product Owner may influence the Development Team by helping it understand and select trade-offs, but the people who will perform the work make the final estimate.”