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Productivity methods and focus

Sprint planning

The Scrum event that starts each Sprint, where the whole Scrum Team agrees why the Sprint is valuable, what can be done in it and how the work will get done.

What It Means

Sprint Planning is the event that opens every Sprint in ScrumScrumA lightweight framework, defined in the Scrum Guide, in which a small team delivers work in fixed-length Sprints of one month or less and adjusts after each one. See more. The whole Scrum TeamScrum teamThe small, self-managing group that does the work in Scrum: one Product Owner, one Scrum Master and the Developers, typically 10 or fewer people. See more works through three questions: why this Sprint is valuable, what can be done in it, and how the chosen work will get done. It ends with a Sprint GoalSprint goalThe single objective a Scrum Team sets for one Sprint, agreed at Sprint Planning, which gives the team a shared focus while leaving room in the exact work. See more, the backlogProduct backlogIn Scrum, the ordered list of everything needed to improve a product, and the single source of work for the Scrum Team. See more items picked to reach it, and a plan for delivering them, which together make up the Sprint BacklogSprint backlogIn Scrum, the Sprint Goal, the Product Backlog items chosen for the Sprint and the Developers' plan for delivering them, kept visible and updated daily. See more. The 2020 Scrum Guide caps it at eight hours for a one-month Sprint, and it's usually shorter for shorter Sprints.

Try It: Step Through Sprint Planning's Three Topics

Step through a Sprint Planning session in the order the 2020 Scrum Guide gives.

Topic 1: Why is this Sprint valuable?

The Product Owner proposes how the product could gain value now. The whole team agrees a Sprint Goal before planning ends.

Step 1 of 4. Timebox: at most 8 hours for a one-month Sprint.

How People Say It

  • "Sprint planning's Monday at ten, bring the backlog."
  • "We can't pull all of that in, pick the top three."
  • "What's the goal before we talk tickets?"

The Breakdown

How to run it

  1. Before the meeting, the Product OwnerProduct ownerThe one person on a Scrum Team accountable for maximizing the value of the product and for managing the Product Backlog, including the order of its items. See more makes sure the top of the Product Backlog is ordered and understood.
  2. Open with why: the Product Owner explains how this Sprint could add value, and the team agrees one Sprint Goal.
  3. Move to what: the Developers choose backlog items that serve the goal, judging from their past pace and how many people are available.
  4. Finish with how: the Developers break each item into smaller tasks, often a day or less each.
  5. Write down the Sprint Backlog, meaning the goal, the items and the plan, and start the Sprint.

Timebox

Sprint lengthSprint Planning, per the 2020 Scrum Guide
One monthEight hours at most
Shorter than a monthUsually shorter

The guide gives no formula for shorter Sprints, so a team picks its own limit within the eight hours.

Short version to try today (Buhata's own example). A two-person household planning next week: spend five minutes agreeing one goal ("the spare room is ready for guests"), pick the jobs that serve it, and write who does each one and when.

Where It Comes From

Sprint Planning is one of the Scrum events defined by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland in the Scrum Guide. Scrum.org notes that the November 2020 edition added the "why" question to the older "what" and "how," so the Sprint Goal is agreed as part of planning.

Good to Know

Deciding how much work fits in the Sprint falls to the Developers, since they're the ones doing it. The Product Owner speaks for value and order, and anyone else can be invited to give advice. A plan made at Sprint Planning isn't frozen: the Developers adjust it daily at the Daily ScrumDaily scrumThe 15-minute Scrum event where the Developers meet each working day to check progress toward the Sprint Goal and adjust their plan. See more, while the Sprint Goal stays fixed.

FAQ

How long should Sprint Planning take?

The 2020 Scrum Guide sets a maximum of eight hours for a one-month Sprint and says it's usually shorter for shorter Sprints. Many teams on one- or two-week Sprints finish well inside that.

Who attends Sprint Planning?

The whole Scrum Team: the Product Owner, the Scrum MasterScrum masterThe person on a Scrum Team accountable for the team's effectiveness and for Scrum being understood and used as the Scrum Guide defines it. See more and the Developers. Other people can be invited to give advice.

What comes out of Sprint Planning?

The Sprint Backlog, which holds the Sprint Goal, the Product Backlog items chosen for the Sprint and the plan for delivering them.

Do It in Buhata

Tasks, Calendar and Team Space

Add Sprint Planning to the Calendar in your Team Space in Buhata on the first day of every Sprint, and put the chosen work straight into Tasks with an owner for each.

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Related Terms and Categories

  • Sprint goal

    The single objective a Scrum Team sets for one Sprint, agreed at Sprint Planning, which gives the team a shared focus while leaving room in the exact work.

  • Sprint backlog

    In Scrum, the Sprint Goal, the Product Backlog items chosen for the Sprint and the Developers' plan for delivering them, kept visible and updated daily.

  • Product backlog

    In Scrum, the ordered list of everything needed to improve a product, and the single source of work for the Scrum Team.

  • Daily scrum

    The 15-minute Scrum event where the Developers meet each working day to check progress toward the Sprint Goal and adjust their plan.

Productivity methods and focus

Sources

Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland, The 2020 Scrum Guide (scrumguides.org); Scrum.org, "What You Need to Know about the 2020 Scrum Guide"; Scrum.org, "What's different in the 2020 Scrum Guide?"

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