How to perform Sprint Planning with Jira - Part 1 | Jira Tips & Tricks from the Agile Experts

To conduct effective Sprint Planning, teams can choose between using velocity and story points or a time-based approach with days or hours. The intent of the session is to answer key questions about what will be accomplished in the upcoming sprint. Preparation is crucial for a smooth planning process, requiring some preliminary work to avoid lengthy discussions during the meeting. Additionally, setting up a Sprint in Jira ensures that all necessary elements are ready for an efficient planning session.

Sprint Planning focuses on three key questions: the value of the Sprint for customers, what will be accomplished during it, and how tasks will be distributed among team members. The order in which these questions are addressed can vary; they do not need to follow a specific sequence as long as all are answered by the end of the session. This flexibility allows teams to adapt their planning process according to their needs while ensuring clarity on objectives and responsibilities.

Before Sprint Planning, ensure that Product Backlog items are adequately refined and prioritized. These items must be well-defined, understood by the team, and appropriately sized for completion within the sprint cycle to avoid lengthy planning sessions filled with ambiguity. Additionally, assess the team's capacity by determining how much work they can realistically handle based on their available time or workload understanding. This preparation is crucial for a successful sprint outcome.

Setting up a Sprint in Jira begins during the Sprint Planning session with the entire Scrum team present, including the Scrum Master, Product Owner, and delivery team. The Product Backlog view is essential for this process; access it by clicking on it from the left menu. In this view, you can create a new Sprint by selecting 'Create Sprint' which opens options to set details such as dates through an edit function or directly within that section.

When choosing a Sprint name, you can either keep the default numbering provided by Jira or customize it to reflect your team's focus. Adding specific themes related to features or non-functional requirements helps clarify objectives and aids in future reporting. Some teams opt for creative names inspired by characters or philosophers, adding an element of fun while fostering team spirit.

Choosing the right Sprint length is crucial for team efficiency. The most common duration is two weeks, which balances feedback and momentum effectively. Some teams prefer three-week Sprints for added stability, while others opt for one-week Sprints due to rapidly changing requirements. Longer durations like four weeks can lead to delayed stakeholder engagement and increased rework if plans go awry; hence they are less recommended.

Setting a Sprint Goal is crucial for articulating the value of the Sprint to stakeholders. It helps define what your team aims to achieve, such as enabling customers to sign up for a new service like one-on-one car rentals. The goal can be established early in planning or refined later based on achievable tasks. Once set, it will appear prominently during and after the Sprint process in tools like Jira.