Sprint goal

…just before starting a new sprint.

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An energized, focused group of people makes the right choices.

A sprint goal:

• is aligned with the product vision and product goals;
• moves you closer towards your product vision or release goal;
• gives focus and direction;
• overarches individual aspects, items and tasks;
• is the unity of purpose for the squad for this sprint;
• is what squads really commit to;
• offers an opportunity;
  • to pace yourself;
  • to tap into a source of intrinsic motivation;
  • to build trust and cooperation; and
  • to self-organize;
• gives appropriate tension—Sun Tzu, The Art of War:
  • The troops are strong and the officers weak. This is called the ‘bow unstrung’.
  • The officers are strong and the troops weak. This is called ‘dragged down’.
• is set by the product owner, often collaboratively with whole squad;
• gives every sprint a unique experience;
• gives every sprint meaning;
• sparks a great desire in the squad;
• gives satisfaction when achieved—pat on the back;
• in short, feels good;
• does not imply that all items of sprint backlog need to be done—you fail when having all items ready to ship but missing the sprint goal;
• must be smart so that you know when you've reached it;
• is constant (i.e. does not change) during the sprint;
• will probably change estimates and the way how you achieve the goal.

Therefore:

Set a clear goal for every sprint and pull in work that helps reach that goal.

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Consider adopting objective & key results to express you sprint goals.

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Examples

At the end of this sprint, we have:

• Business improvement
  • Increase conversion rate by 10%”.
• Released a feature:
  • Get the reporting feature ready for general release.
  • Users can log-in to the site, retrieve a forgotten password, and manage their own profile.
  • Implement basic shopping cart functionality including add, remove, and update quantities.
  • Checkout process: pay for an order, pick shipping, order gift wrapping.
  • Customers can pay with bank transfer”�
  • Autocomplete on last names.
  • 100% of all information indexed.
• Improved systemic quality:
  • The system has doubled transaction processing performance.
  • Time to first byte on the landing page is less than 0.7s
• Increased buy-in and confidence from stakeholders:
  • Management is impressed with a working console.
  • We will get praise and encouragement for our progress on the product catalogue.
• Enabled dependent groups:
  • The content team can get started, using a basic content page and agenda.
• Tested an assumption, e.g. about user interaction:
  • Will users be willing to register before using the product features?
• Addressed a technical risk or debt:
  • Does the architecture enable the desired performance?”
  • Refactored cluster map optimization algorithms.

See

• goal;
• objective;
• goals versus objectives.

Sources

• https://www.mountaingoatsoftware.com/agile/scrum/sprint-planning-meeting
• http://www.romanpichler.com/blog/effective-sprint-goals/
• http://www.romanpichler.com/blog/sprint-goal-template/
• http://www.scaledagileframework.com/iteration-goals/
• Goal Setting Criteria (http://www.slideshare.net/jurgenappelo/agile-management-course, slide 29):
  • Simple
  • Measurable
  • Actionable
  • Realistic
  • Time-bound
  • Ambitious
  • Relevant
  • Inspiring
  • Tangible
  • Memorable

We have no precise plan, only a clear sense of direction. If we make an all out attempt and fail, that will tell us what to do next.

—Dee Hock

To do

• RonJeffries » Ron Jeffries » The Goal In Scrum

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