Sprint Planning & Execution
Agile sprint planning procedure covering backlog grooming, capacity planning, sprint goal setting, daily standups, and retrospective.
Purpose
Run consistent, productive sprints that deliver committed work on time by following a structured planning and execution cadence.
Steps (7)
Backlog Grooming
Review the top 15-20 backlog items with Product Owner and Tech Lead. Ensure clear acceptance criteria, story point estimates, and priority ordering. Break down large stories (>8 points).
Checklist
- Top 15-20 items reviewed and refined
- Each story has clear acceptance criteria
- Stories estimated in story points
- Large stories broken down
- Dependencies identified
- Open questions resolved
- Backlog ordered by priority
Expected Output
Backlog is groomed with clear, estimated, prioritized stories.
Sprint Planning Meeting
Review team capacity (PTO, holidays, meetings). Set a sprint goal. Select stories from the top of the backlog until capacity is reached. Team commits to the sprint backlog.
Checklist
- Team capacity calculated
- Sprint goal defined
- Stories selected from top of backlog
- Total points within team capacity
- Each story discussed
- Estimates confirmed
- Sprint backlog finalized
- Sprint board set up
Expected Output
Sprint goal set. Sprint backlog committed. Team aligned.
Task Breakdown & Assignment
Break each story into specific technical tasks (1-4 hours each). Assign tasks based on team members' skills and availability. Identify parallel work opportunities.
Checklist
- Each story broken into specific tasks
- Tasks are actionable (1-4 hours each)
- Assignments balanced across team
- Sequential dependencies identified
- Parallel work opportunities identified
- Sprint board updated with all tasks
Expected Output
All stories broken into assigned tasks. Sprint board populated.
Daily Standup Execution
Run a 15-minute daily standup. Each member reports: completed, working on today, and blockers. Update the sprint board in real-time. Table side conversations.
Checklist
- Standup starts on time (15-minute timebox)
- Each team member gives status
- Completed tasks moved to Done
- Blockers raised and documented
- Blocker owners assigned
- Sprint burndown reviewed briefly
Expected Output
Team synchronized. Blockers identified. Sprint board current.
Mid-Sprint Health Check
At the sprint midpoint, compare burndown to the ideal line. Identify at-risk stories. Negotiate scope reduction with Product Owner if behind, or pull in stories if ahead.
Checklist
- Burndown chart reviewed against ideal line
- Stories at risk identified
- Root cause of delays analyzed
- Scope reduction negotiated (if behind)
- Additional stories pulled (if ahead)
- Sprint goal still achievable — yes/no
Expected Output
Sprint health assessed. Course corrections applied.
Sprint Review (Demo)
Demo each completed story as working software. Review incomplete stories with reasons. Collect stakeholder feedback. Update the backlog.
Checklist
- All completed stories demoed
- Acceptance criteria verified
- Incomplete stories explained
- Sprint metrics shared (velocity, committed vs. delivered)
- Stakeholder feedback collected
- New items added to backlog from feedback
Expected Output
Sprint work demonstrated. Feedback captured. Velocity recorded.
Sprint Retrospective
Discuss: What went well? What didn't? What should we change? Focus on process improvements, not blame. Vote on top 2-3 actions with owners. Review last sprint's actions.
Checklist
- All team members participate
- What went well items captured
- What didn't go well items captured
- Top 2-3 improvement actions selected by vote
- Action items assigned with owners
- Last sprint's retro actions reviewed
- Retro notes documented
Expected Output
Retro completed. Improvement actions identified with owners.