Sprint Planning is a crucial phase in Agile project management as it lays the foundation for a successful and well-executed iteration, known as a sprint.

In Agile methodology, Sprint Planning is a key ceremony that occurs at the beginning of each iteration or sprint. It is a collaborative event involving the entire Scrum team, including the Product Owner, Scrum Master, and development team members. The primary goals of Sprint Planning are to define what can be delivered in the upcoming sprint and to create a plan for how to achieve those goals.

Sprint Planning follows the Product increment planning phase. You can refer to my previous blogs on Agile methodology which talk about:

1. Role of Scrum Master
2. Role of Product Owner
3. Step 1 – Project initiation phase
4. Step 2 – Backlog prioritisation phase
5. Step 3 – Product increment planning phase

Below are the key steps involved in Sprint Planning based on my experience working on large-scale agile projects across Federal Government. Note that it is important to tailor your approach to the needs of the project and organisation.

1. Product Backlog Review: During this initial step, the Scrum Team, including the Product Owner, reviews the product backlog and discusses the highest-priority items.
2. Spring Goal Definition: The team collaboratively defines a clear and concise sprint goal that encapsulates the business value and purpose of the upcoming iteration.
3. Task identification and breakdown: Team members collaboratively break down the selected product backlog items into smaller, manageable tasks. Each task is discussed, and the team collectively determines the effort required.
4. Estimation and capacity planning: The team estimates the effort or complexity of each task, often using techniques like story points or hours. Simultaneously, the team considers its capacity for the upcoming sprint, ensuring that commitments are realistic and achievable within the defined timeframe.
5. Definition of Done review: The Definition of Done, outlining the criteria for a product increment to be considered complete, is reviewed and confirmed by the team.

The “State of Agile Report 2020” by CollabNet VersionOne indicates that 58% of respondents found that Sprint Planning enhanced predictability in project delivery. This suggests that Sprint Planning contributes to a more reliable and predictable project timeline.

At a major government agency in Australia, I participated in regular Sprint Planning sessions with five IT SCRUM teams. The most crucial activity I observed in this phase was task identification and breakdown. By conducting this activity with Business Analysts, Testers, Developers, Scrum Master, Product Owner and business subject matter experts, the team gained a granular understanding of the work involved, facilitating more accurate estimations and creating a detailed roadmap for the upcoming sprint.

Sprint Planning promotes collaboration, transparency, risk mitigation, resource allocation, incremental delivery, and adaptability. In my experience, it has played a key role in providing confidence to impacted stakeholders.

Agile Framework

In the below agile framework, I am sharing a visual one-page diagram on how to implement Agile on a large scale. This framework is based on the process that was implemented at a large Federal Government Agency in Australia (who employ over 20,000 staff). I worked with more than 10 highly mature Scrum Teams at this Federal Agency who have been successfully delivering projects under large scale SAFe Agile methodology for more than 10 years. Please reach out to me at kirtan.jamnadas@aclivity.com.au if you would like to receive this document in PowerPoint format which can be updated.

About the author

Kirtan Jamnadas is a management consultant with over seven years of experience successfully delivering complex IT projects at four large federal government agencies in Australia.

Kirtan is passionate about initiating and driving projects forward while ensuring that all stakeholders are engaged and on board with the project’s goals.

With his employer’s support, Kirtan established the company’s project management practice – this included developing all the frameworks, tools and templates to ensure projects are set up for success.