According to the Scrum Guide, an impediment is any factor that blocks or slows down the Developers in their creation of a valuable piece of software in a Sprint, or that restricts the team in achieving its intrinsic level of progress1. Therefore, the scenarios that are impediments are:

A team member talking about a user story that is not on the Scrum board: This indicates that the team is not focused on the Sprint Goal and the Sprint Backlog, which are the sources of alignment and commitment for the Developers. Talking about a user story that is not on the Scrum board can also cause confusion, distraction, and waste of time for the team2.

A technology that blocks agile capabilities: This implies that the team is facing a technical issue that prevents them from delivering a potentially releasable Increment of value at the end of the Sprint, or from collaborating effectively with the Product Owner and other stakeholders. A technology that blocks agile capabilities can also hinder the team’s ability to inspect and adapt their work and process3.

A lack of team empowerment and an inability to self-organize: This suggests that the team is not able to make decisions and take actions that are best suited for achieving the Sprint Goal and delivering value to the customer. A lack of team empowerment and an inability to self-organize can also affect the team’s motivation, creativity, and productivity.

The scenarios that are not impediments are:

A team member talking about a user story that is on the Scrum board: This indicates that the team is engaged in the Sprint work and is discussing the details and progress of a user story that is part of the Sprint Backlog. Talking about a user story that is on the Scrum board can also foster communication, collaboration, and transparency within the team.

A review of the backlog at daily standup meetings: This implies that the team is using the daily standup meetings as an opportunity to inspect the Sprint Backlog and adapt their plan accordingly. A review of the backlog at daily standup meetings can also help the team identify any impediments or risks that may affect their Sprint work.