Who determines how many Product Backlog items the Development Team selects for a Sprint?

The Development Team is responsible for determining how many Product Backlog items to select for a Sprint. This decision is intrinsic to the Scrum framework's emphasis on self-management and team autonomy. During the Sprint Planning meeting, the Development Team assesses its capacity, taking into consideration factors such as team velocity, available resources, skills, and the complexity of the items in the Product Backlog.

By allowing the Development Team to make this determination, Scrum promotes accountability and empowers the team to commit to what they realistically believe they can achieve during the Sprint. This balance between aspiration and capacity is crucial, as it encourages the team to set a sustainable pace of work, fostering a healthy work environment and ensuring consistent delivery of value.

The Scrum Master and Product Owner play important roles in the process — the Scrum Master facilitates the Sprint Planning meeting and helps ensure that the Scrum framework is adhered to, while the Product Owner prioritizes the product backlog items and provides guidance on their value to the organization. However, the final decision about the quantity of items selected rests with the Development Team itself, as they are the ones who will execute the work.