Multiple Scrum Teams working on the same project must have the same Sprint start date.

When multiple Scrum Teams work on the same product, they must produce a single, integrated, and usable Increment at the end of every Sprint. To achieve this, it is essential for all teams to operate on the same rhythm or cadence. Having a synchronized Sprint start and end date ensures that all teams can effectively integrate their work, conduct a single Sprint Review for the integrated Increment, and collaborate on planning and improvement activities for the product as a whole. This practice is a foundational rule in scaled Scrum frameworks.

The alternative, False, is incorrect because if teams had different Sprint start dates (asynchronous Sprints), it would be practically impossible to create a single, fully integrated Increment at a consistent, product-level cadence. Integration would become a constant, complex problem rather than a planned activity, and holding a meaningful, unified Sprint Review with stakeholders to inspect the complete product Increment would be unachievable. This would undermine the transparency and empirical process control that Scrum is built upon.

1. The Nexus Guide (November 2021): The official Scrum.org guide for scaling Scrum explicitly mandates this practice.

Reference: Page 5

"The Nexus Sprint" section states: "All teams work from the same single Product Backlog. They have a common Sprint Cadence." A common Sprint cadence means the Sprints start and end at the same time.

2. The Scrum Guide (November 2020): While the core Scrum Guide does not explicitly use the phrase "same start date" for multiple teams

the requirement is a direct logical consequence of its rules for producing a single

integrated Increment.

Reference: Page 9

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

an Increment is born... The entire Scrum Team is accountable for creating a valuable

useful Increment every Sprint." When multiple teams work on one product

they collectively form the "Scrum Team" in this context

and they must deliver one integrated Increment. This is only feasible with a synchronized cadence.

3. Schwaber

K.

& Sutherland

J. (2017). Software in 30 Days: How Agile Managers Beat the Odds

Delight Their Customers

and Leave Competitors in the Dust. Ken Schwaber

a co-creator of Scrum

emphasizes the importance of integration.

Reference: Chapter 4 discusses the "Potentially Shippable Increment

" noting that at the end of every Sprint

the team must have a completely integrated

tested

and documented piece of software. For multiple teams

this integration point is the end of a common Sprint.