Sprint Planning #
Sprint Planning is a critical Scrum event that kicks off each Sprint. It is a collaborative meeting where the Scrum Team (including the Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Development Team) plans the work to be performed during the upcoming Sprint. The goal is to determine what can be delivered in the Sprint and how that work will be achieved.
Key Characteristics of Sprint Planning: #
1. Time-Boxed: Typically lasts up to eight hours for a one-month Sprint. Shorter Sprints have proportionally shorter planning meetings.
2. Collaborative: Involves the entire Scrum Team, ensuring everyone has input and understands the plan.
3. Outcome-Oriented: Focuses on creating a clear and actionable plan for the Sprint.
Components of Sprint Planning #
Sprint Planning is typically divided into two parts:
1. What Can Be Done This Sprint?:
– Goal: Define the Sprint Goal and select Product Backlog items (PBIs) that will be included in the Sprint.
– Participants: Product Owner presents the prioritized Product Backlog items. The Development Team discusses and agrees on what can be accomplished.
2. How Will the Chosen Work Get Done?:
– Goal: Create a plan for delivering the selected PBIs, breaking them down into smaller tasks and estimating the effort required.
– Participants: Development Team takes the lead, with the Scrum Master facilitating and the Product Owner available to clarify requirements.
Example of Sprint Planning for an E-Commerce Website Project #
Scenario:
The team is about to start a two-week Sprint focused on enhancing the user profile and order history features for an e-commerce website.
Sprint Goal: Improve user profile management and order history visibility.
Date: First day of the Sprint
Time: 10:00 AM
Location: Team’s usual meeting room or virtual meeting space
Participants:
– Alice (Frontend Developer)
– Bob (Backend Developer)
– Carol (QA Engineer)
– Dave (Scrum Master)
– Eva (Product Owner)
Agenda of the Sprint Planning: #
Part 1: What Can Be Done This Sprint?
1. Product Backlog Review:
– Eva (Product Owner) presents the top Product Backlog items relevant to the Sprint Goal:
– PBI 1: As a user, I want to update my profile information easily.
– PBI 2: As a user, I want to view my past orders with detailed information.
– PBI 3: As a user, I want to download my order invoices.
2. Discussion and Selection:
– The Development Team reviews the PBIs, asks questions, and estimates the effort required.
– Alice: “Updating profile information seems straightforward, but we need to ensure the user experience is smooth.”
– Bob: “Viewing past orders will require some backend adjustments to fetch and display the data efficiently.”
– Carol: “We need to ensure thorough testing, especially for the order history feature.”
3. Commitment:
– The team agrees on which PBIs they can commit to completing during the Sprint, considering their capacity.
– Selected PBIs: PBI 1, PBI 2, and PBI 3.
4. Defining the Sprint Goal:
– The team collaboratively defines the Sprint Goal based on the selected PBIs:
– Sprint Goal: Enhance the user profile management and order history features to improve user satisfaction and usability.
Part 2: How Will the Chosen Work Get Done?
1. Breaking Down PBIs into Tasks:
– The Development Team breaks each PBI into smaller, manageable tasks and estimates the effort required for each task.
2. PBI 1: Update Profile Information:
– Task 1.1: Design the profile update form (Alice) – 4 hours.
– Task 1.2: Implement form validation and submission (Alice) – 6 hours.
– Task 1.3: Backend API for profile update (Bob) – 8 hours.
– Task 1.4: Write unit tests for profile update (Carol) – 4 hours.
3. PBI 2: View Past Orders:
– Task 2.1: Design order history page (Alice) – 5 hours.
– Task 2.2: Implement order data fetching (Bob) – 10 hours.
– Task 2.3: Display order details (Alice) – 7 hours.
– Task 2.4: Write integration tests for order history (Carol) – 6 hours.
4. PBI 3: Download Order Invoices:
– Task 3.1: Design invoice download link (Alice) – 3 hours.
– Task 3.2: Backend API for generating invoices (Bob) – 9 hours.
– Task 3.3: Implement download functionality (Alice) – 4 hours.
– Task 3.4: Write end-to-end tests for invoice download (Carol) – 5 hours.
5. Task Assignment and Dependencies:
– The team assigns tasks based on individual skills and availability.
– Alice: Frontend design and implementation.
– Bob: Backend API development.
– Carol: Testing and quality assurance.
6. Creating the Sprint Backlog:
– The team compiles all tasks into the Sprint Backlog, ensuring that each task is clearly defined and estimated.
7. Final Review and Commitment:
– The team reviews the Sprint Backlog to ensure it is realistic and achievable.
– Dave (Scrum Master): Confirms that everyone is clear on their responsibilities and the Sprint Goal.
Benefits of Sprint Planning: #
1. Clear Direction: Provides the team with a clear understanding of what needs to be accomplished and how to achieve it.
2. Alignment: Ensures that the team is aligned with the Product Owner’s priorities and business goals.
3. Focus: Helps the team focus on delivering valuable features within the Sprint.
4. Collaboration: Encourages collaboration and communication within the team.
5. Predictability: Improves predictability and helps manage stakeholder expectations.
Conclusion #
Sprint Planning is an essential event in Scrum that sets the stage for a successful Sprint. By collaboratively defining the Sprint Goal, selecting appropriate PBIs, and creating a detailed plan for delivering the work, the Scrum Team ensures they are aligned, focused, and prepared to deliver valuable product increments. The example of enhancing the user profile and order history features for an e-commerce website illustrates how Sprint Planning facilitates effective collaboration, clear goal-setting, and detailed task planning, ultimately contributing to the Sprint’s success.
