A properly functioning Scrum Team will have at least one Release Sprint and may well have several.

The Scrum Framework does not contain the concept of a "Release Sprint" or a "Hardening Sprint." A core tenet of Scrum is that the Scrum Team works to produce a "Done," usable, and potentially releasable Increment at the end of every Sprint. The need for a special Sprint dedicated solely to release activities (such as integration, final testing, or deployment) is considered an anti-pattern. It indicates that the team's Definition of Done is not robust enough and that work from previous Sprints was not truly complete. A properly functioning Scrum Team integrates, tests, and ensures their work is releasable within each Sprint. The decision to actually release the Increment is a business decision that can be made at any time, including during a Sprint or at its conclusion, but it does not require a separate, special type of Sprint.

The "True" option is incorrect because it presents a common misunderstanding or a dysfunctional practice as a standard for a "properly functioning Scrum Team." The Scrum Guide is explicit that each Sprint should result in a valuable, usable Increment. Delaying the release to a separate, later Sprint introduces risk, delays feedback, and runs counter to the agile principle of delivering value frequently.

1. Schwaber

K.

& Sutherland

J. (2020). The Scrum Guide.

Page 11

"Increment" section: "The moment a Product Backlog item meets the Definition of Done

an Increment is born... An Increment is a concrete stepping stone toward the Product Goal. Each Increment is additive to all prior Increments and thoroughly verified

ensuring that all Increments work together. In order to provide value

the Increment must be usable... An Increment may be delivered to stakeholders prior to the end of the Sprint. The Sprint Review should never be considered a gate to releasing value." This passage confirms that the Increment from any Sprint should be usable and releasable

and that releasing is not tied to a specific event or special Sprint.

2. Verheyen

G. (2013). Scrum: A Pocket Guide (A Smart Travel Companion). Van Haren Publishing.

Chapter 4

"The Game

" Section on "Done": Verheyen emphasizes that "Done" means that no further work is needed to make the selected functionality part of the product. He explains that a weak Definition of Done often leads to "undone" work

which accumulates and may necessitate a "release sprint" or "hardening sprint

" a practice he identifies as a deviation from professional Scrum.

3. Pelliccione

L.

& Crnkovic

I. (2018). Software Engineering Education: A Case Study on Teaching Scrum. In 2018 IEEE/ACM 40th International Conference on Software Engineering: Software Engineering Education and Training.

Section IV.B

"Scrum Anti-Patterns": The authors discuss common anti-patterns observed in student projects

including the "Hardening Sprint." They state

"Another common anti-pattern is the hardening sprint

i.e.

a sprint dedicated to fixing bugs and polishing the product before a release. This is a clear symptom that the team is not able to deliver a potentially shippable product increment at the end of each sprint." This academic source identifies the practice as a symptom of a problem

not a feature of a properly functioning team. (DOI: 10.1145/3183377.3183389)