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THE GOAL OF SPRINT PLANNING

by Mike Cohn
20 Comments
Tagged:
 * sprint planning
 * planning
 * sprints

Naturally the goal in sprint planning is to plan a sprint that the team can
successfully complete. Some teams will consider a sprint successful when the
sprint goal is achieved. But not all teams are able to confine their sprints to
a single goal; those teams may consider a sprint successful if team members
complete all planned backlog items within the sprint.

But should teams strive to be successful in these ways every sprint?


70–80% IS A WIN

No, they shouldn’t. If a team meets its goal or finishes all backlog items every
sprint, that probably means the team is playing it safe when planning the
sprint. Some teams are conservative in what they choose because of their own
natures. Other teams are reluctant to disappoint stakeholders, so they assume an
attitude of under-promising. Still others are fearful of being in trouble if
they don’t successfully finish what was planned.

I advise teams to get their sprints right 70–80% of the time. If a team does
what they say they will at that rate, this gives the organization plenty of
predictability. Stakeholders can be told about the plan for the next sprint and
reasonably believe the team will likely finish what they’ve planned.

Reasonable stakeholders will understand the sprint plan is not a guarantee, but
that it is very likely. If I tell a friend I’ll meet him for dinner at 6:00, he
knows I’ll very likely be there on time. But it’s not a guarantee. I’m not going
to begin the drive from my house early enough to account for unexpected traffic,
getting stuck at a train crossing, having a flat tire, and road construction
that causes a detour, all on the same journey.

Targeting a 70–80% success rate allows a team to more aggressively plan each
sprint. An item that might be achievable during a sprint now gets included. The
same item would have been left out in a culture in which everything must be
finished every sprint.

Setting a goal of getting it right most sprints, rather than every sprint, also
enables teams to conduct planning meetings more quickly. Saving time in meetings
is always a win in my book.


WHAT ABOUT WHEN A GUARANTEE IS NEEDED?

There are times when stakeholders do need a guarantee of what will be delivered
in a sprint. What should a team do then? In those cases, the team has two
equally viable options.

First, team members can plan a sprint that includes only what they feel very
confident they can deliver. In an example above I wrote that a team might bring
an item into the sprint if they thought they could complete it but weren’t sure.
If a guarantee is needed, they wouldn’t bring that item into the sprint.

Alternatively, the team can commit to some items in the sprint and identify
others as stretch goals that may or may not be included.


WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Do you agree with me that a team should not target finishing everything or
achieving their sprint goal every sprint? How often does your team achieve their
goal or finish everything? If it’s 100%, do you think team members are sometimes
playing it safe so they finish everything? Please share your thoughts in the
comments below.



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20 Comments


Posted: August 24, 2021


TAGGED:

 * sprint planning
 * planning
 * sprints

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Learn scrum and agile processes directly from Mike Cohn, one of the industry's
most well respected Certified Scrum Trainers (CST). Mike Cohn is the author
of User Stories Applied for Agile Software Development, Agile Estimating and
Planning, and Succeeding with Agile. He is a co-founder and former board member
of the Scrum Alliance, and a co-founder of the non-profit Agile Alliance, home
of the Agile Manifesto.


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