A Sprint Planning event is a meeting between a Scrum team, stakeholders, and subject matter experts. The event occurs on the first day of the Sprint. During the event, the team and stakeholders create a Sprint Backlog, which includes the tasks needed to achieve the Sprint Goal.
The Sprint Planning event is an integral part of Scrum as it allows all involved parties to collaborate and clearly plan how work will be accomplished during the upcoming sprint. Furthermore, it allows the team to focus on the backlog items with the highest value and ensure they have what they need to get it done.
After the Sprint Planning event is over, all stakeholders should have a clear understanding of what will be accomplished during the Sprint. By attending this event, teams can ensure that everyone is on the same page and that their efforts are focused on achieving the Sprint Goal. This will help to create a successful sprint!
Length of Sprint Planning
The length of the Sprint Planning event depends on several factors. According to the Scrum framework, Sprint Planning can be as long as eight hours. The team size, Sprint length, complexity, preparedness of the product backlog items, and any associated risks will all affect how long it takes to plan the sprint. It is crucial to ensure that you do not rush through Sprint Planning.
There is no defined length for Sprint Planning. If you are a Scrum Master trying to decide how long your team’s Sprint Planning event should be, schedule too much time and see how long it takes. For example, if you schedule four hours, and the team completes it in three, schedule the next Sprint Planning for three hours.
The Steps in Sprint Planning
There are three things you want to accomplish during a Sprint Planning event:
- Create the Sprint Goal – The Sprint Goal should clarify the importance of the Sprint and what needs to be accomplished.
- Load the Sprint – the team decides which Product Backlog Items should be included in the Sprint to accomplish the Sprint Goal.
- Solve the Content – the team decides how they plan to design and build the product backlog items.
Once the developers have enough information to achieve the Sprint Goal, the Sprint Planning event is complete.
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Additional Information
For more information about Sprint Planning, check out the information available the Artisan Agility website.
