Any phase · Ways of working

Run sprint planning

Sprint planning sets up each sprint: why it matters, what the team will deliver and how. A clear sprint goal helps the team make good trade-offs when things change mid-sprint.

About 1-2 hoursEvergreenLast reviewed 4 November 2026

Who this applies to

Skills it builds: Delivery and executionPrioritisation and roadmapping
PM types: All
Product types: All
Starting points: All
Ways of working: Scrum
Experience: All
Size of organisation: All

Steps, by experience

Beginner (under 1 year)

Before the meeting, put the backlog in priority order and make sure the top items are ready: clear stories, acceptance criteria and designs attached.
Check the team's capacity for the sprint: holidays, training and other commitments. Your Scrum Master or Delivery Manager can help.
Start the meeting with 'why'. Propose what would make this sprint valuable, then agree a one-sentence sprint goal with the whole team.
Then agree 'what'. The developers choose which backlog items they can finish, based on past pace and capacity. Your job is to explain each item and answer questions, not to push more in.
Then the team plans 'how', often breaking items into tasks of a day or less. You do not need to direct this part.
End with the sprint goal, chosen items and plan visible to everyone. Keep the meeting short: well under four hours for a two-week sprint.

Intermediate (1 to 4 years)

Arrive with a ready, ordered backlog and a proposed sprint goal linked to the product goal.
Agree the sprint goal with the team first, then let developers forecast what fits their capacity.
Leave the 'how' to the developers; clarify scope and trade-offs.
Make the sprint goal visible and refer back to it at every stand-up.

Experienced (5+ years)

Refine and order the backlog, and tie your proposed goal to the product goal.
Agree the sprint goal with the whole team before selecting items.
Base the forecast on capacity and past throughput, not pressure.
Keep the sprint backlog (goal, items, plan) visible to all.

Who can do this

Owner: Product manager

Can be delegated to

Scrum Master or Delivery Manager: Facilitate the meeting and keep it within its timebox
Delivery Manager: Work out team capacity and flag dependencies
Product Owner: Order the backlog and propose the sprint goal
Business Analyst or Product Owner: Make sure the top backlog items are ready before the meeting

Reviewed by: Scrum Master, Tech Lead

Tool examples

Jira: Use the backlog view to drag items into the next sprint, and fill in the sprint goal field when you start the sprint, so it shows on the board.
Azure DevOps: Set team capacity per person on the sprint's Capacity tab, then use the forecast to see what fits.
Linear: Use cycles for sprints, and write the goal in the cycle description.
Miro: For remote teams, put the proposed goal and top items on a board and agree the goal together before opening the tracker.
Claude: Paste the top backlog items and ask for two or three possible sprint goals that tie them together.