Sprint planning: there's no point in your team running, it has to start on time
The sprint planning meeting is one of the scrum ceremonies that guide project management using the agile method.
What is the current status of the project? What are the next priorities?
This is exactly what the members of a project team inevitably ask themselves as the project progresses, sprint after sprint.
👉 Appvizer has put together a comprehensive guide to help you answer these questions: "But what exactly is the sprint planning process? Why is it necessary and how does it work?"
Sprint planning: definition
The sprint planning meeting is the first meeting of each sprint, or development cycle, which generally lasts between two weeks and a month and during which developers design and test new features.
The following meetings are :
- the daily scrum, each day, to review progress and any sticking points ;
- the sprint review, to present the deliverables to the customer and gather feedback;
- the sprint retrospective, to take stock of the past sprint and identify areas for improvement in the organisation of future ones.
The objective of sprint planning
Sprint planning consists of determining a sprint goal and then planning the functionalities and user stories deemed to have priority from all those listed in the product backlog.
Those selected for the coming sprint are then moved into the sprint backlog, the set of US that the team is committed to delivering by the end of the sprint.
🎯 The sprint goal and the sprint backlog are the two results, called outputs, of sprint planning.
Stakeholders and their role
In scrum, there are always 3 major roles:
- the Product Owner prepares the sprint planning and the key elements of the Product Backlog to be addressed, together with the Scrum Master ;
- The Scrum Master leads the meeting;
- The Scrum team takes part in defining the sprint objective and estimating and prioritising tasks.
The duration of a sprint plan
Sprint planning should not exceed 2 hours per week. To respect this timing, you can prepare the ground with backlog refinement, an intermediate meeting during which an estimate of the user stories and their workload can be made.
☝️ With the Scrum method, all activities are divided into what are known as timeboxes, to give events a fixed or maximum duration. The aim of timeboxing is to limit the time spent on an activity. The shorter the duration of a task, the less important it is for the final result.
For example, sprint planning is limited to a maximum of 8 hours for a one-month sprint.
How do you draw up a sprint plan?
A 4-stage process
- All the stakeholders take stock of the product's progress, which is essential for defining the sprint objective. This generally corresponds to the completion of a user story.
- If this has not already been done during Refinement (or Grooming), the Product Owner and Scrum Master go back over the planned user stories (functional subjects) and break them down into technical subjects.
- They also check that the sum of the complexity points (story points) allocated to the user stories is consistent with the sprint capacity. 🔎 To determine these story points, there's the planning poker method. Some people do this during sprint planning, others upstream, at Refinement meetings. 🚀 Velocity represents all the points completed by the team over the last few sprints. This KPI is used to calculate capacity.
Capacity = team performance x team availability.
4. The sprint backlog is updated. For each product backlog item selected, the Scrum team plans the work required and recalls the DoD, Definition of Done.
For a better overview, the tasks are written in the "To-Do" column on the Scrum Board.
☝️ The increment is the set of "done" elements finalised in the previous sprint, updated before each sprint planning.
How do you do an online sprint planning?
With telecommuting and remote Scrum teams, how can you create an online sprint plan?
Software in SaaS mode, in the cloud, can overcome this constraint, to prepare the planning and keep a close-knit team, aware of the different tasks to be carried out.
Take a look at our directory to discover collaborative tools and online project management software tailored to your needs.
What are the benefits of sprint planning?
A good sprint plan is a bit like a recipe: all the ingredients are there for the scrum team to make a success of its dish. Except that in this case, the dish is a well-defined sprint objective and a clear sprint backlog.
The first advantage is visibility. Every member of the development team knows what they're working on , why, and by when. No more grey areas, everyone is moving forward with a shared vision of the project.
The second benefit is alignment. The Product Owner, the Scrum Master and the team speak with one voice. This meeting enables expectations to be synchronised and the selected backlog items to be validated together.
Thirdly, prioritisation. There's no question of spreading ourselves too thinly! Thanks to this sprint planning, only the important tasks are retained. The estimated workload sets the pace: not too much, not too little.
Finally, good sprint planning boosts motivation. Everyone knows where they're going, with whom and why. The result: a more committed team, smoother development and a product that really moves forward.
Use tools for your sprint planning
Comparison table of the 5 best software tools for your sprint planning
1 of 5
 Asana |  ClickUp |  Jira |  monday.com |  Wrike |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| For companies with more than 1 employees | For all companies | For companies with more than 1 employees | For all companies | For companies with more than 50 employees |
| See software | See software | See software | See software | See software |
| Learn more about Asana | Learn more about ClickUp | Learn more about Jira | Learn more about monday.com | Learn more about Wrike |
Asana
Asana is the backbone of sprint planning for teams who want to see things clearly... and get straight to the point.
Thanks to its intuitive interface, the product owner can drag and drop backlog items into the right projects, while assigning each task to a member of the scrum team. The result: a crystal-clear plan for the coming sprint.
🚀 Asana's greatest asset? Its system of views. List, table, calendar or timeline..., each Scrum master chooses the best perspective for tracking sprint progress and organising upcoming events.
And if you're working remotely, don't panic, because Asana facilitates real-time collaboration. You can comment on a story, add an estimate, or notify your development team in two clicks. The sprint continues without a hitch.
Asana
ClickUp
ClickUp is the Swiss army knife of sprint planning. A single platform, a wealth of possibilities for organising your work.
The Product owner can :
- create a clear sprint backlog,
- prioritise tasks by objective
- and assign each story to the development team.
It's all there, just a click away.
ClickUp also lets you manage estimates (in points, hours, pizzas, who knows 🍕), track progress, and automate reminders. Yes, even the Scrum master can breathe.
Another advantage: customisation. Gantt views, Kanban, calendar, shared docs..., you adapt the tool to your agile method, and not the other way round.
With ClickUp, each scrum team can build a sprint plan in its own image. Serious in content, fun in form. And we approve ✅
ClickUp
Jira
Jira is the veteran of sprint planning. It ' s solid, precise and designed for tech teams who are passionate about the agile method.
The product owner manages the sprint backlog in detail. Every story, every task, every estimate has its place. Nothing is overlooked.
The Scrum master loves his dashboard:
- they can see how things are progressing,
- detects blockages,
- adjust the aim.
Jira also includes automatic reports, perfect for retrospectives. With features such as velocity, points completed, burndown chart, etc., there's plenty to sharpen up the next sprint objectives.
A robust tool, admittedly a little technical at first, but formidably effective once you've got the hang of it. The preferred ally of demanding development teams.
Jira
monday.com
With monday.com, sprint planning gets a facelift. Literally. The tool focuses on visual clarity to make task management easier.
Product owners can easily :
- structure the sprint backlog
- set objectives
- and allocate work in just a few clicks: one line, one task, one person in charge.
The Scrum master loves the flexibility of the views , with a Kanban board, a calendar, a timeline... So each Scrum team can choose its own playground for steering development.
Bonus: automation. Move a story when it changes status, notify the team at the end of a sprint, add a reminder... monday.com does it for you. Magic ✨
monday.com
Wrike
Wrike is German rigour applied to sprint planning. Structured, powerful and designed for development teams who like to have an overview.
The product owner can organise the sprint backlog by file, priority or objective. Each task is visible, assigned and dated. Nothing is left to chance.
For the Scrum master, Wrike facilitates coordination:
- it centralises discussions
- automates follow-up
- and generates detailed reports on project progress.
🚀 Its real plus? Fine-grained dependency management. Wrike alerts you if a story blocks the whole sprint. Handy for avoiding finishing the race with a flat tyre.
Wrike
Our advice and best practice for your sprint planning
📌 The first reflex is to keep a sharp sprint backlog. No sprint without clear content:
- classify the tasks,
- prioritise them,
- set achievable objectives.
📌 Think collective. Sprintplanning is not a monologue by the product owner:
- involve the whole scrum team,
- exchange ideas,
- ask questions.
The more the plan is co-constructed, the more it holds up.
📌 Avoid wet-finger estimates. Base your estimates on data from previous sprints. The velocity of the development team is your best compass.
📌 And above all, remain flexible. A good sprint planning doesn't freeze the work, it gives it a direction. If necessary, adjust your aim during the sprint. That's also what agility is all about.
📌 Finally, don't neglect the atmosphere. An effective schedule is also a meeting where everyone feels listened to. A kind word, a smiley face, a virtual coffee... The atmosphere counts as much as the content.
On your marks, get set, sprint!
Choosing what can be achieved in a sprint can be a challenge. However, the further the Scrum team progresses in the project, the more precise its sprint forecastsbecome.
By defining a clear objective and a shared vision, it is also more likely to move towards the success of the project and meet the deadlines.
That's what sprint planning is all about: steering the team in the right direction and ensuring that the final product meets all the requirements.
How do you go about planning? Share your best tips in the comments!