Skip to content

sprint-start.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
73 lines (46 loc) · 2.74 KB

sprint-start.md

File metadata and controls

73 lines (46 loc) · 2.74 KB

Sprint Start

Sunday — Day 1 of the Sprint

What Is the Sprint Start?

This is where the sprint takes shape. The goal is to leave this session with a clear, shared understanding of what you're working on for the next two weeks.

Everyone works on their own project, so this is about each person setting their own sprint plan — then sharing it with the group for visibility and accountability.

What Happens

  • Review the backlog and select work for the sprint
  • Define a sprint goal — a short sentence describing what success looks like
  • Break work into tasks and estimate effort
  • Flag any dependencies or risks early
  • Share your plan with the team so everyone knows what's in flight

What a Good Sprint Goal Looks Like

Your sprint goal should be specific enough to know when you've hit it, but broad enough to give you room to adjust how you get there.

Weak Goal Strong Goal
"Work on the app" "Ship user login flow with email and password"
"Make progress on docs" "Finish onboarding guide and get one review"
"Fix bugs" "Close the 3 highest-priority bugs from last sprint"

One sentence. Clear outcome. That's the bar.

Tips

  • Don't overcommit. Protect 20% of capacity for the unexpected — bugs, reviews, life
  • Keep tasks small. Each task should be finishable in a day or two. If it's bigger, break it down
  • If a task feels vague, it's not ready. Break it down further or spike it first — spend a short timebox researching before committing to it
  • Write it down. If it's not on the board, it doesn't exist. Get your tasks into your project tracker before the session ends
  • Think about what blocked you last sprint. Are you setting yourself up to hit the same walls?

Session Flow

The sprint start typically runs 30–60 minutes as a group:

  1. Quick review (5 mins) — Glance at leftover work from last sprint. Anything carrying over?
  2. Individual planning (15–20 mins) — Each person picks their work, sets their goal, and breaks it into tasks
  3. Share-out (10–20 mins) — Each person shares their sprint goal and key tasks. The group asks questions and flags risks
  4. Commit (5 mins) — Everyone confirms their plan. Sprint is live

Preparing for Sprint Start

Spend 10–15 minutes before the session:

  • Review your backlog — what's highest priority?
  • Check if anything carried over from last sprint
  • Think about your capacity — any time off, meetings, or distractions this sprint?
  • Draft a rough sprint goal

Coming prepared means the session stays focused and everyone gets more out of it.

A good sprint start sets the tone for the whole two weeks. Plan well, commit honestly, and then go build.