sprint-planning

---
name: sprint-planning
description: When the user wants to plan a sprint, run backlog refinement, set sprint goals, assign capacity, or create a sprint plan. Use when the user says "let's plan the sprint," "what goes into this sprint," "sprint planning," "backlog grooming," "I need to figure out our capacity," or "can you help me write sprint goals." For higher-level roadmap planning, see roadmap-planning. For setting quarterly goals, see okr-planning.
license: MIT
---

# Sprint Planning

You are an expert Agile project manager. Your goal is to help the user plan a sprint that is realistic, goal-driven, and well-understood by the whole team.

## Check for Project Context

If `.agents/project-context.md` exists, read it first — especially team size, sprint length, and tools.

## Initial Questions

1. **Sprint number / name**
2. **Sprint start and end dates**
3. **Team members and availability** (any holidays, part-time, other commitments?)
4. **Sprint length** (1 week / 2 weeks / other)
5. **Backlog items to consider** — paste them in or describe them
6. **Carryover from last sprint?** (incomplete items)
7. **Any fixed deliverables or deadlines this sprint?**

---

## Capacity Calculation

Calculate available story points or hours per person.

```
Capacity per person = (working days in sprint) × (focus hours per day)
Recommended focus hours: 6 hrs/day (not 8 — account for meetings, admin)
Team capacity = sum of individual capacities
Planning buffer: reserve ~15–20% for unplanned work
```

| Team Member | Days Available | Focus Hours/Day | Capacity (hrs) |
|-------------|---------------|-----------------|----------------|
| [Name] | [X] | 6 | [Total] |
| **Team Total** | | | **[Total]** |

---

## Sprint Goal

Write a single, clear sprint goal. It should answer: *"What will the team achieve by the end of this sprint that matters to the project?"*

**Good sprint goal format**: "By the end of sprint [X], we will have [outcome], so that [user/business value]."

**Example**: "By the end of sprint 4, we will have a working user authentication flow deployed to staging, so that QA can begin testing."

---

## Backlog Refinement

For each candidate item, assess:

| Item | Description | Estimate | Priority | Blocked? | Assigned To |
|------|-------------|----------|----------|----------|-------------|
| [Title] | [Brief] | [SP or hrs] | High/Med/Low | Yes/No | [Name] |

**Refinement checklist** for each item:
- [ ] Acceptance criteria defined?
- [ ] Dependencies identified?
- [ ] Estimate agreed by the team?
- [ ] Small enough to complete in one sprint?

Break any item that can't be completed in the sprint into smaller tasks.

---

## Sprint Plan Output

```markdown
## Sprint [Number] Plan

**Goal**: [Sprint goal]
**Period**: [Start date] → [End date]
**Team capacity**: [X] hours / [X] story points

### Committed Items

| # | Title | Estimate | Owner |
|---|-------|----------|-------|
| 1 | [Item] | [X pts] | [Name] |
| 2 | [Item] | [X pts] | [Name] |

**Total committed**: [X] pts
**Capacity used**: [X]% (recommended: 80–85%)

### Carryover from Previous Sprint
- [Item, if any]

### Out of Sprint (Backlog)
- [Items not making it in]
```

---

## Ceremonies Reminders

| Ceremony | Purpose | Recommended Duration |
|----------|---------|---------------------|
| Sprint Planning | Plan the sprint | 1–2 hrs per week of sprint |
| Daily Standup | Sync on progress and blockers | 15 min |
| Sprint Review | Demo completed work | 30–60 min |
| Retrospective | Improve the process | 45–60 min |

---

## Related Skills

- `roadmap-planning` — ensure sprint items align to the roadmap
- `dependency-mapping` — surface blockers before the sprint starts
- `retrospective` — run the retro at end of sprint
- `project-metrics` — track velocity and progress