SAFe Knowledge Base » Iteration Review
Iteration Review
Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts.
—Albert Einstein
Summary
The Iteration Review is a key event that allows the Agile Team to showcase their accomplishments, receive feedback, and collaboratively determine next steps as they close the iteration timebox. Agile Teams connect the Iteration Review with SAFe Principles by promoting transparency, applying systems thinking to assess both the solution and the processes behind it, and conducting objective evaluations of working systems to ensure stakeholder expectations are met. The Scrum Master facilitates the Iteration Review, where the team discusses iteration goals, demonstrates completed stories, and reflects on any incomplete items. They also identify new risks and impediments, using the ROAM process to address them.
Note: For more on Agile Team events, please see the Framework articles in the series: Iteration Planning, Iteration Review, Team Sync, Team Backlog Refinement, and Iteration Retrospective. Each event can be utilized for Agile Teams that use SAFe Scrum or SAFe Team Kanban.
What is an Iteration Review?
The Iteration Review is the second-to-last event of the iteration. It provides a way to regularly gather immediate, contextual feedback from the team and its stakeholders. The iteration review offers several benefits:
- It brings closure to the iteration timebox
- It allows team members to demonstrate their contributions and take pride in their work.
- It provides the team with an opportunity to receive feedback to improve the solution under development.
- It shows the results of the latest system increment to help determine future work.
An iteration review is where the team demos a working, tested increment. No slides are needed. Instead, the focus is on the solution rather than a presentation. The team and stakeholders review accomplishments in the iteration; based on this information, attendees collaborate on what to do next. The Agile Team backlog may also be adjusted to meet new opportunities.
Read more about the Agile Team Backlog
What is the purpose of the Iteration Review?
The purpose of the Iteration Review is to create a fast feedback loop between the Agile Team and its stakeholders to ensure the team is building the right solution. The Agile Team shows they delivered upon the iteration goals they committed to at the beginning of the iteration.
The business requires this visible, measurable progress from a working system to validate the team’s progress and to provide necessary guidance toward achieving the Team and ART PI Objectives.
Last Update: 18 March 2026