Sprint Goal in Scrum - why do we need it?

In the current fast-changing world full of new challenges, it’s easy to forget about goals. Our days can be full of work, but we won’t know if they have value for our company and career if we don’t set up any goals.

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FOCUS AND DIRECTION

Sprint Goal is one of the tools in Scrum that shows what is the direction of the upcoming Sprint. That’s why it’s created by the Scrum Team in the Sprint Planning meeting.

It helps us to not only know what is the purpose of the Sprint, but also to be fully focused on the work that is important for us.

PRIORITIZATION

It’s easy to get distracted by multiple small tasks during the Sprint. That’s when it’s extremely important to remember about the Sprint Goal and answer the question “Does this task help me to achieve the goal?” If the answer is yes, we can start working on it. If not, it should be lower on our priority list.

Without answering that question we can find ourselves busy, but not moving forward with plans that we had. In the end, the result is disappointing - the goal is not achieved and the outcome of the Sprint doesn’t satisfy us.

DAILY INSPECTION

Sprint Goal is also helpful in daily inspection of the work during Daily Scrum meetings. In that meeting we should answer below questions listed in the Scrum Guide:

• What did I do yesterday that helped the Development Team meet the Sprint Goal?
• What will I do today to help the Development Team meet the Sprint Goal?
• Do I see any impediment that prevents me or the Development Team from meeting the Sprint Goal?

It’s just an example and guideline, but what I believe is crucial in those questions is the reference to the Sprint Goal.

From my experience I can tell that sometimes people forget about it and talk what they did, plan to do and they list impediments.

That’s where visual reminder of the Sprint Goal on the Scrum Board can be simple but such a useful tool. It helps the team to always remember what they want to achieve during the Sprint and inspect if what they’ve done and they are planning to do is the right choice.

You can quickly see how the whole daily planning will transform. The Development Team will be more cautious and focused.

SUCCESS MEASURE

Sprint Review is an opportunity for inspection of the increment and demonstration of what was done during the Sprint. It is also time to validate if the team achieved what was planned. Sprint Goal can be helpful to measure success of the Sprint and recognize what should be changed if it wasn’t achieved.

In conclusion, the main benefits of using Sprint Goal are:

• Development Team is focused
• Clear direction of the Sprint
• Clarity about what is important during the Sprint
• Prioritization of tasks is easier
• It’s great inspection tool
• It helps in measuring of success and analysis of the Sprint

If you noticed that your team doesn’t pay attention to Sprint Goal, I encourage you to start using it in all activities that I mentioned and see how much it will impact your work. I can tell from my own experience, you will see the difference!