Sprint Planning
Sprint Planning is the Scrum event that initiates each Sprint by defining the Sprint Goal, selecting Product Backlog items to work on, and creating an actionable plan for delivering the Increment.
Explanation
Sprint Planning addresses three topics: why the Sprint is valuable (the Sprint Goal), what can be done during the Sprint (selecting backlog items), and how the chosen work will get done (creating a plan). The entire Scrum Team collaborates in Sprint Planning, and the Product Owner ensures the most important items are ready for discussion.
The Sprint Goal is crafted during Sprint Planning and gives the team a coherent objective. The Developers then select items from the Product Backlog that they forecast they can complete. This selection is based on past performance (velocity), current capacity, and the Definition of Done. The Developers decompose the selected items into tasks and create the Sprint Backlog.
Sprint Planning is timeboxed to a maximum of eight hours for a one-month Sprint. For shorter Sprints, the event is usually shorter. The quality of Sprint Planning directly impacts the team's ability to deliver a valuable Increment.
Key Points
- •Addresses why (Sprint Goal), what (selected items), and how (plan for delivery)
- •Timeboxed to eight hours maximum for a one-month Sprint
- •The entire Scrum Team participates
- •Results in the Sprint Backlog with a clear Sprint Goal
Exam Tip
Sprint Planning produces three outputs: the Sprint Goal, the set of selected Product Backlog items, and the plan for delivering them. Know all three.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Topics
Sprint
A Sprint is a fixed-length timebox of one month or less in Scrum during which the team creates a usable, potentially releasable product Increment.
Product Backlog
The Product Backlog is an emergent, ordered list of everything that might be needed in the product, serving as the single source of requirements for any changes to be made.
Sprint Backlog
The Sprint Backlog is the set of Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint, plus the Sprint Goal and the plan for delivering the Increment.
Velocity
Velocity is the amount of work a Scrum team completes in a Sprint, typically measured in story points, used to forecast how much work the team can handle in future sprints.
Most-studied PMP concepts
High-yield topics our learners drill most before exam day.
Burndown Chart
A Burndown Chart is a graphical representation of work remaining versus time in a Sprint or release, showing whether the team is on track to complete the planned work.
Relative Estimation
Relative Estimation is an agile technique where work items are sized in comparison to each other rather than in absolute units like hours or days, providing faster and more accurate estimates.
Sprint Review
The Sprint Review is a Scrum event held at the end of the Sprint where the Scrum Team presents the Increment to stakeholders, gathers feedback, and collaborates on what to do next.
Sprint Backlog
The Sprint Backlog is the set of Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint, plus the Sprint Goal and the plan for delivering the Increment.
Timeboxing
Timeboxing is the practice of allocating a fixed, maximum amount of time for an activity, after which the activity stops regardless of whether it is complete.
Resource Leveling
Resource leveling is a resource optimization technique in which adjustments are made to the project schedule to keep resource usage at or below a defined limit, often resulting in a longer project duration.
Risk Register
The risk register is a project document that records the details of individual project risks, including their identification, analysis results, response plans, and current status.
Stakeholder Mapping
Stakeholder mapping is the visual representation of stakeholder relationships, influence, interest, or other attributes using grids, matrices, or diagrams to support analysis and engagement planning.
Cost Performance Index (CPI)
Cost Performance Index (CPI) is an EVM efficiency metric that measures cost performance as the ratio of earned value to actual cost: CPI = EV / AC.
Part of
Agile & Hybrid
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