Sprint Planning Checklist
Make a sprint planning checklist covering backlog readiness, capacity, the planning meeting and what to do straight after, with an owner for each stage.
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- No sign-up to try
- Works as you type
4 stages, 19 steps
1. Backlog ready
- Order the backlog so the most valuable items are at the top
- Check each top item has acceptance criteria the team understands
- Estimate the top items with the people who will do the work
- Split items too big to finish in one sprint
- Note items waiting on another team or a decision
2. Capacity and goal
- List holidays, on-call duty and other commitments for each person
- Work out available capacity from that list, not from a full sprint
- Review what was finished last sprint and what carried over
- Draft a sprint goal with the product owner
3. Planning meeting
- Agree the sprint goal in one sentence
- Pull items from the top of the backlog until capacity is reached
- Break each item into tasks of a day or less
- Name an owner for every dependency and risk raised
- Leave room for bugs and unplanned work
- Ask the team if the plan is achievable, and adjust if not
4. After planning
- Update the board with the committed items and tasks
- Share the sprint goal and scope with stakeholders
- Confirm the dates for stand-ups, the review and the retrospective
- Raise blocking dependencies with the teams that own them
Free, no sign-up to try. Your checklist becomes a Room you can edit, publish and share.
How it works
How the Sprint Planning Checklist works
- 1
Pick the stages
Keep the stages you need and name an owner for each.
- 2
Add your own steps
Add steps specific to your team or product.
- 3
Share the checklist
Create a Room everyone ticks off together from one link.
Worked example
What it makes
1. Backlog ready
The top of the backlog is clear enough to plan from.
- Order the backlog so the most valuable items are at the top
- Check each top item has acceptance criteria the team understands
- Estimate the top items with the people who will do the work
- Split items too big to finish in one sprint
- Note items waiting on another team or a decision
2. Capacity and goal
Know how much the team can take on, and why this sprint matters.
- List holidays, on-call duty and other commitments for each person
- Work out available capacity from that list, not from a full sprint
- Review what was finished last sprint and what carried over
- Draft a sprint goal with the product owner
3. Planning meeting
The team commits to a goal and a realistic amount of work.
- Agree the sprint goal in one sentence
- Pull items from the top of the backlog until capacity is reached
- Break each item into tasks of a day or less
- Name an owner for every dependency and risk raised
- Leave room for bugs and unplanned work
- Ask the team if the plan is achievable, and adjust if not
4. After planning
The plan is visible and the sprint starts cleanly.
- Update the board with the committed items and tasks
- Share the sprint goal and scope with stakeholders
- Confirm the dates for stand-ups, the review and the retrospective
- Raise blocking dependencies with the teams that own them
Who it's for
Who uses it
Scrum masters
Run planning the same way every sprint.
Product owners
Arrive with a backlog the team can actually plan from.
New agile teams
Learn the steps of a good planning session.
Good to know
What to consider
- Written for teams working in sprints; kanban teams can skip the capacity and goal stage.
- Add your own steps for tools or rituals specific to your team.
Questions
About the Sprint Planning Checklist
Can I reuse it every sprint?
Yes. Make a Room for each sprint, or keep one Room and untick the steps at the start of each sprint.
Where do the steps come from?
From a step library written and reviewed by people, not generated per visitor. Pick the stages you need, name an owner for each and add your own steps.
Make your checklist now
Free, no sign-up to try. It becomes a Room you can edit, publish and share.
Create my checklistRelated
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