Whiteboard template

Sprint planning template

Plan a sprint the way Scrum intends: agree on a goal first, check how much time the team really has, then choose the work that serves the goal.

Use this template for free All templates
  • Sprint goal, Capacity and Risks
  • Candidates, Committed and Stretch
  • Room for live issue cards
  • Live for the whole team
A sprint planning board in Starlex with the sprint goal, capacity, risks and candidate, committed and stretch stories

What is sprint planning?

Sprint planning is the meeting that starts a sprint. The team decides why the sprint matters (the sprint goal), what it can deliver and how it will get the work done. For a two week sprint it usually takes one to two hours.

What is in the template

  • Sprint goal: one sentence that says what will be true at the end of the sprint.
  • Capacity: who is away, and how much the team finished last time.
  • Risks and dependencies: anything outside the team that could block the goal.
  • Candidates, Committed and Stretch: the stories you consider, the ones you commit to and the extras you will pick up if there is time.

How to plan a sprint with this template

  1. Write the goal. The product owner proposes a goal and the team refines it until everyone understands it.
  2. Check capacity. Note holidays, on call duty and other commitments. Use last sprint's velocity as a guide, not a target.
  3. Pull in candidates. Bring the top of the product backlog onto the board, as sticky notes or as live issue cards.
  4. Commit. Move the stories that serve the goal into Committed until the team's capacity is used. Everything else goes to Stretch or back to the backlog.
  5. Name the risks. For each risk, agree on what you will do if it happens.

Example

In the example, the goal is "customers can pay by card at checkout". Five people are available, Ana is away on Friday, and the team finished 34 story points last sprint. Card checkout and the receipt page are committed, the refund flow and invoice emails stay as candidates, and saved cards and gift cards are stretch work. The main risk is a payment provider review that can take three days.

Tips

  • A good goal lets the team drop a story without failing the sprint.
  • Plan to about 80 percent of capacity. Bugs and surprises always arrive.
  • Once the plan is agreed, move the committed issues into the sprint, so the board and the backlog show the same plan.

Use this template in Starlex

Open a project, go to Notes, then Whiteboards, choose New whiteboard and pick Sprint planning. To add it to a board you already have, use the board's ⋯ menu.

  • Everyone in the project can work on the board at once, with live cursors and cursor chat.
  • Run a timer for silent writing, and use dot voting to choose.
  • Turn any sticky note into an issue, or bring real issues onto the board as live cards.
  • Export the board as a PNG or SVG image, or embed it in an issue description.

Frequently asked questions

How long should sprint planning take?

The Scrum Guide sets a maximum of eight hours for a one month sprint. For a two week sprint, two hours or less is typical.

What is the difference between the sprint goal and the sprint backlog?

The goal is why the sprint matters. The sprint backlog is the set of items chosen to reach it, plus the plan for delivering them.

Can I bring real issues onto the planning board?

Yes. Starlex whiteboards can import issues or whole board columns as live cards, which update when the issue changes anywhere in the project.