What are the key artifacts in Scrum, and what do they represent?

Short answer: Scrum defines three key artifacts: Product Backlog – A prioritized list of everything that might be needed in the product, maintained by the Product Owner.

Explain a bit more

Sprint Backlog – A subset of the Product Backlog items selected for the current Sprint, along with a plan for delivering them. Increment – The sum of all completed work that meets the Definition of Done at the end of a Sprint. Example: If your product is an e-commerce website, the Product Backlog could include features like "Add to Cart", "Payment Gateway", and "User Login". In the current Sprint, the Sprint Backlog may include just “User Login” and “Add to Cart”. At the end of the Sprint, a working login system is delivered as the Increment.

Real-world example (ShopNest)

Agile for ShopNest means ship a thin checkout slice every sprint, get feedback, then improve—not a 6-month big-bang release.

Say this in the interview

1. Define — one clear sentence (the short answer above).
2. Example — relate it to a project like ShopNest or your real work.
3. Trade-off — when you would not use it.