Setting Sprint Goals
Setting the sprint goals is misunderstood by most scrum teams.
Here is my attempt to demystify the sprint goal
The Sprint goal defines the team’s objective for the sprint, outlining the value to be delivered in the increment to stakeholders. Meeting the sprint goal signifies the sprint’s success, providing direction for work during the sprint and allowing for adaptability if new tasks arise.
Why sprint goals is important?
Sprint goals are crucial as they establish the team’s focus. In software and product development, we are doing complex work. Most of the time it is not something we do over and over again. Complex work involves surprises, the sprint goals provide more than one way to deliver value. A sprint goal should describe a problem or an opportunity and not a solution to keep the options alive.
These goals aid the team in making decisions regarding changes to the sprint backlog or handling expedited work. By creating synergy, sprint goals contribute to delivering value and fostering energy, engagement, creativity, and effectiveness within sprints. This not only impacts the company’s bottom line but also significantly boosts team energy and motivation.
The sprint goal should have the following characteristics:
- One sentence summary of the focus of the sprint
- Unique for each sprint. It should not have the same goal sprint after sprint
- Example: Implement login authentication for users.
- Non-Example: Continue working on login functionality.
- Give flexibility to be able to make changes in the sprint backlog
- Example: Add a new feature based on user feedback xyz
- Non-Example: Stick strictly to the initial feature list without considering new inputs.
- Motivates the team to do the work
- Example: Optimize database queries for faster performance.
- Non-Example: Generic task like “Work on backend improvements.”
- Helps developers collaborate and find creative options to achieve the goal
- Important for the stakeholders and be outcome-driven
- Example: Implement payment gateway integration to enable online transactions.
- Non-Example: Begin research on payment gateway options.
- Achievable in the sprint
- Example: Develop a mobile-responsive version of the website.
- Non-Example: Revamp the entire website in one sprint.
- Clear and measurable.
- Tied to at least one backlog item
- Step towards achieving the product goal
Questions to ask after writing a sprint goal:
Looking at the sprint goal, can we answer these questions?
- Can anyone in the team answer the questions from their leader’s leader, “what are we doing during the sprint?”
- Which personas or stakeholders will get benefit from the changes that will be done this sprint?
- Does it have Focus, Purpose and Impact?
- Focus: What we are trying to achieve?
- Purpose: Why we are doing it?
- Impact: What measurable outcome I am expecting to get out of it? or Why should stakeholders care and support the team in their efforts?
- By looking at the sprint goal, can a stakeholder decide if they need to be in the sprint review or not?
- Will the team be able to support any changes coming to the sprint, using sprint goal as a guide or focal point?
Understanding and setting clear sprint goals is essential for the success of Scrum teams. By following these guidelines and asking the right questions, teams can ensure they are focused, adaptable, and aligned with stakeholder expectations, leading to more effective and impactful sprints.
By fostering a shared understanding and commitment to sprint goals, teams can navigate complexity with clarity and purpose.
