In our agile series of blogs, we’ve covered how to make your sprint project planning more effective, so that you can make the most out of project delivery (If you haven’t read it already, head to our blog “Effective Scrum Sprint Planning in Agile Development”).
Although most commonly used in Scrum, sprint planning can be valuable for other agile methodologies, particularly Kanban, Scrumban and SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework). To give yourself and your team the best opportunity for success, make sure to avoid these mistakes during your sprint planning.
Sprint planning pitfall #1 - Not defining your sprint goal
Every objective needs a goal. Without a clear goal, your team will have no idea what they’re working towards, how they’ll get there, and whether it’s achievable within the sprint timeframe. As with all goals, it needs to be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound). The whole team should discuss and agree on the goal to ensure that everyone is working towards it.
Scenario
You’re working with a client to implement new functionality into their existing application. During each sprint, you release a new piece of functionality. You’ve reviewed your backlog and prioritised user stories for the sprint, which will help you meet your overall project goal.
Sprint goal: Implement a user login system that allows users to create accounts and securely access the application’s core features.
Sprint planning pitfall #2 - Not involving the whole team
Sprint planning is a collaborative process, where all members of the team should be present and contributing for it to succeed. If you don’t involve the whole team during your sprint planning, you may find that your team is frustrated and demotivated and there are missed deadlines and opportunities. This also gives the team a chance to break work items down by asking relevant questions to the Product Owner.
Scenario
You’re holding a sprint planning meeting and everyone on the team is in attendance. Together, you have decided on a realistic scope and discussed any knowledge gaps. Open communication with the team has helped you focus on delivering value, avoid bottlenecks, and find solutions. Now the sprint has progressed smoothly, and everyone is happy!
Sprint planning pitfall #3 - Your scope is unrealistic
We’ve all been there – where we’ve bitten off more than we can chew.
Unrealistic scope is a mistake that can push back your entire sprint, by cramming too much work into a single sprint which is unachievable within the timeframe.
By setting an unrealistic scope, you may find that there are missed deadlines, reduced quality, and demotivation. Team members may feel that they are doing too much in too little time, and their work is directly impacted as a result.
Scenario
Ask yourself: “Are the goals too good to be true?” “Does the team understand the user stories?”.
During your sprint planning meeting, you’ve communicated with your team about whether they find the goals achievable in the given timeframe. You’ve reviewed your product backlog and prioritised items, focusing on the most critical features and taken into account any dependencies. You’ve decided to conduct daily scrums to monitor progress and adjust the scope if needed.
You’ve set yourself and your team up for a successful sprint!
Sprint planning pitfall #4 - Being reluctant to change following sprint planning
The reason many teams follow the agile model is because it allows them to be more adaptable and flexible. Unexpected issues arise, whether it be a change in requirements or a sprint taking longer than expected. In order to have a successful sprint, you need to be open to change and adapting the sprint when and where its needed. If there is a significant change to the sprint goal, you may want to cancel the current sprint and start again to make sure that everyone is on the same page.
Being inflexible will make it difficult for you to adapt to a change in client requirements and can derail your progress on a sprint.
Scenario
You’re in communication with a client, and they’ve had a change in requirements during a sprint, which has added complexity to the functionality that is being delivered in the current sprint. You’ve been transparent with the client about the potential impact on the sprint goal.
With your team, you explore options and find a solution which meets the needs of both your client and the team, and adapted the sprint to incorporate the new requirements.
By communicating, collaborating, and adapting the sprint, you’ve avoided disrupting the entire sprint and the client is happy!
Sprint planning pitfall #5 - Being too detailed in sprint planning
Being detailed is important, but don’t waste time during sprint planning focusing on the small stuff.
The focus of sprint planning should be on the direction and development, rather than making a overly-detailed plan and micromanaging tasks.
By prioritising user stories, breaking down tasks, and completing backlog refinement before the meeting, you can make sure that you focus on the important details.
Scenario
You’re holding a sprint planning meeting and you’re focusing on the user stories. You break down the stories into high-level tasks, focusing on key functionalities and features. You have a clear direction and haven’t looked too much into the specifics, and this allows your to be more flexible and adaptable to unforeseen challenges.
Conclusion
By avoiding these common sprint planning pitfalls, you can make sure that you’re more productive and set yourself up for a successful sprint. Mistakes happen, so be open to adapting your approach to make your sprints smoother and more effective!
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