Sprint Goal

Question 1

What is the Sprint Goal?

Answer 1

The Sprint Goal is the single objective for the Sprint. It explains why the work in the Sprint Backlog is valuable.

A Sprint Goal is an output of the Sprint Planning event and forms part of the Sprint Backlog. Every Sprint must have a Sprint Goal.

Question 2

What is good practice for the Sprint Goal?

Answer 2

A good practice is for the Product Owner to come into Sprint Planning with an objective in mind that will advance us towards the Product Goal.

The Product Owner and Developers discuss this objective and the related Product Backlog items and negotiate and agree on a realistic Sprint Goal together.

Question 3

What does a good Sprint Goal provide?

Answer 3

• Focus – Sprint Goals provides a shared purpose to the Scrum Team and provides opportunities to act as a single team, rather than a collection of individuals working separately. More value can typically be delivered faster this way.
• Flexibility – Focussing on a Sprint Goal (rather than a fixed scope of work) provides flexibility to cope with uncertainty and creates space for innovation.
• Purpose – A Sprint Goal should provide transparency around the value and of the Scrum Team’s work.
• Prioritisation – Wherever possible, Developers do work that makes the maximum contribution towards the Sprint Goal.
• Clarity – A Sprint Goal helps Scrum Teams to clearly communicate the objective of the Sprint to stakeholders.
• Inspection – A Sprint Goal helps ensure the right stakeholders are included at the Sprint Review in order to enable effective inspection of the Increment.

Question 4

What are some tips for creating Sprint Goals?

Answer 4

Tips For Creating Sprint Goals:

• Make Sprint Goals as specific as possible to provide clarity.
• Sprint Goals must be realistically achievable in the Sprint.
• Not all work in the Sprint has to relate to the Sprint Goal.
• There can be more than one aspect to a Sprint Goal, but it is designed to bring focus, so generally, less is more when it comes to setting useful Sprint Goals.
• If a Scrum Team struggles to set a Sprint Goal it may be a sign that the Product Goal is unclear. The Scrum Team may struggle to deliver the high value in these circumstances.
• If the product is mature, the nature of the work may make Sprint Goals more difficult to create and less useful in practice. If the majority of the Scrum Teams work is support and maintenance then the goal can be clearly stated but may be of less benefit.