It’s all about Time. 

In today’s fast-paced world, you, me and everyone wants things moving quickly as it’s a question of patience and time. Project managers want their teams to perform faster, teachers want their students to learn faster, and clients want their requirements delivered faster.

Fast, fast …Move fast is the trend that is going on and is not going to die any time sooner. Showing progress continuously in a short span of time is what is required to match this trend and it is possible only with Agile methodology. It’s highly unlikely to achieve this with other traditional methods

Well, It’s also important to understand at the same time, that each method has its own working model and none of the life cycle models are degradable. I am only talking about the quick fixes and changes which our clients expect from the team that are not that effective in traditional  methods.

Sprints in Agile methodology which is a prime time frame element can satisfy this thirst of clients by time boxing delivery within just a few weeks of time. One or two weeks to be specific. Even a small deliverable or a techdebt can save clients or stakeholders from the restlessness and waiting periods.

Breaking down the project delivery into smaller chunks improves the team performance. This way we can prioritize and fit them into sprints. This leads to faster delivery. The team can then analyze their sprint capability. They can review and retrospect, and make necessary changes to achieve their goals successfully.

What is Agile Sprint Planning?

Agile Sprint Planning is a critical component of Agile development that allows teams to break down complex project delivery into smaller, more manageable segments. At the start of each sprint, the team comes together to plan, prioritize, and commit to a set of deliverables for the upcoming sprint cycle.

Importance of Agile Sprint Planning in Agile Development

Effective Agile Sprint Planning ensures that all team members are aligned and working towards the same goals, resulting in improved collaboration, increased efficiency, and faster time-to-market.

By breaking down a project delivery into smaller, more manageable pieces, Agile Sprint Planning enables teams to identify and resolve issues early on, reducing the risk of delays and cost overruns.

Key Benefits of Agile Sprint Planning

The benefits of Agile Sprint Planning provides the following:

• Improved team collaboration and communication
• Enhanced efficiency and productivity
• Increased visibility and transparency
• Reduced risk of project delays and cost overruns
• Improved quality and customer satisfaction

Stages of Agile Sprint Planning

Agile Sprint Planning typically involves the following stages:

Stage 1: Pre-Planning

Before the sprint planning meeting, the team should prepare by reviewing the backlog, identifying any dependencies, and estimating the effort required to complete the tasks. During this stage, the team should also identify the sprint goal, which serves as a unifying focus for the team during the sprint.

Stage 2: Sprint Planning Meeting

The sprint planning meeting typically lasts for a few hours and involves the entire team. During this meeting, the team discusses the sprint goal, reviews the backlog, and selects the tasks that will be completed during the sprint. The team also estimates the effort required to complete each task and assigns them to team members based on their skills and availability.

Stage 3: Sprint Backlog Refinement

After the sprint planning meeting, the team should refine the sprint backlog by adding more details and breaking down large tasks into smaller, more manageable ones. The team should also update the estimates and ensure that all tasks are aligned with the sprint goal.

Stage 4: Daily Stand-up Meetings

During the sprint, the team should hold daily stand-up meetings to review progress, identify any issues, and plan for the day ahead. These meetings should be short and focused, with team members sharing updates on their progress and any obstacles they are facing.

Stage 5: Sprint Review and Retrospective

At the end of the sprint, the team should hold a sprint review and retrospective meeting. During the review, the team demonstrates the completed work to stakeholders and receives feedback. The retrospective involves a discussion of what went well, what could be improved, and actions the team can take to improve in the next sprint.

By following these stages, the team can effectively plan and execute sprints, delivering high-quality work within the given timeframe.

Activities of Agile Sprint Planning

Agile Sprint Planning involves several activities that are critical for planning and executing sprints effectively. These activities include:

Review the Product Backlog

The first step in Agile Sprint Planning is to review the product backlog. The product backlog contains a list of all the features, enhancements, and bugs that need to be addressed during the development process. During this stage, the team should review the backlog, identify any dependencies, and prioritize the tasks based on their importance.

Define the Sprint Goal

The sprint goal serves as a unifying focus for the team during the sprint. It is a short statement that describes what the team intends to achieve during the sprint. During this stage, the team should define the sprint goal based on the highest priority items from the product backlog.

Select the Tasks

Once the sprint goal is defined, the team should select the tasks that will be completed during the sprint. The team should consider the priority of each task, estimate the effort required to complete it, and assign it to team members based on their skills and availability.

Estimate the Effort

During this stage, the team should estimate the effort required to complete each task. This estimation helps the team understand the capacity of the sprint and ensure that they can deliver the tasks within the given timeframe.

Create the Sprint Backlog

The sprint backlog is a list of tasks that the team plans to complete during the sprint. During this stage, the team should create the sprint backlog by adding more details to the tasks, breaking down large tasks into smaller ones, and ensuring that all tasks are aligned with the sprint goal.

By following these activities, the team can effectively plan and execute sprints, delivering high-quality work within the given timeframe.

Prakya’s Agile Sprint Planning Techniques and Graphical Representations 

Prakya’s Agile Sprint Planning Techniques offer a structured framework for effective sprint planning and execution. When using Prakya’s methodology, features are assigned to program sprints. As soon as an item from the team backlog is moved to the sprint backlog, its progress can be tracked. Prakya leverages various techniques for sprint planning, including Backlog Refinement, Stand Ups, Review, and Retrospectives. Moreover, Prakya’s sprint journey is accompanied by robust graphical representations, which provide clear indications of the team’s progress during a given sprint.

Prakya’s Sprint Metrics

Sprint Metrics refer to the key performance indicators (KPIs) that measure the team’s progress during the sprint. These metrics include:

• Burn-down Chart: A graph that shows the remaining work to be done during the sprint.
• Velocity Chart: A graph that shows the amount of work completed by the team during each sprint.
• Cumulative Flow Diagram: A graph that shows the flow of work through the team’s workflow.

By using these metrics, the team can track their progress during the sprint, identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven decisions.

Fig 1 : Prakya’s Sprint Burndown

Fig 2 : Prakya’s Sprint Progress

 

Fig 3 : Prakya’s Sprint Cumulative

Sprint Journey

At Prakya, each program increment can define one or more sprints with a start and end date. The journey of the sprint, once assigned, can be visually tracked with its exclusive feature called “Sprint Journey”. 

Sprint Journey refers to the graphical representation of the team’s progress during the sprint. It helps the team understand the status of the sprint at a glance, identify bottlenecks and roadblocks, and take corrective action if necessary. The sprint journey includes:

• Sprint Goal: A short statement that describes the team’s objective for the sprint.
• Sprint Backlog: A list of tasks that the team plans to complete during the sprint.
• Task Board: A visual representation of the tasks, their status, and the team member assigned to each task.
• Burn-down Chart: A graph that shows the work that has been progressed day wise and the remaining work to be done during the sprint.

Fig 4 : Prakya’s Sprint Journey

By using the sprint journey, the team can ensure that they are on track to achieve their sprint goal and take corrective action if necessary.

Sprint Summary

During the sprint, the team performs various activities to complete the assigned tasks. At the end of the sprint, Prakya’s sprint summary provides a clear picture of the team’s progress and helps in evaluating the team’s performance.Some key indicators include

• Release bundles
• Completed stories
• Spilled over story points
• Closed stories
• Stories moved to the next sprint

 

Fig 5 : Prakya’s Sprint Summary

Prakya’s Agile Sprint Planning Techniques provide a framework for effective sprint planning and execution. By using these visual graphic representations of sprint metrics, journey, and closure, the team can ensure that they deliver high-quality work within the given timeframe, reflect on their performance, and plan for future sprints effectively.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Agile Sprint Planning is a crucial process for any Agile team. By following the techniques and best practices discussed in this blog post, teams can increase their chances of delivering high-quality work within the given timeframe and achieve their goals successfully.

If you agree that planning is a crucial part of any process and need help improving your team’s performance at scale, then connect with Prakya. Prakya offers incredible features that can benefit your organization and make Agile adoption easy. Book a demo or visit our website at prakya.com