Scrum Sprint Goal

5 minutes 5 Questions

Each Sprint has a Sprint Goal which is a short, straightforward description of the outcome the team hopes to achieve during the Sprint. The Sprint Goal guides the Development Team on why it is building the Increment. It has the benefits of providing flexibility regarding the functionality implement…

Guide for Scrum Sprint Goal

The Scrum Sprint Goal is an important aspect of Agile and Scrum practices. It is a short, simple description of what the team plans to achieve during the sprint. It provides a shared objective, and is used to give the team guidance when dealing with trade-offs.
In terms of how it works, at the beginning of each sprint, the team and the Product Owner agree on the Sprint Goal. The Sprint Backlog then emerges during the Sprint to meet this goal.
The Sprint Goal is important because it gives the team a direction and purpose. It helps them understand why they are working on the items in the Sprint Backlog.

When answering questions on the Scrum Sprint Goal in an exam, here are a few tips:

Understand the purpose: Always remember that the Sprint Goal gives direction and meaning to the Sprint.
Know its formulation: The Sprint Goal is agreed upon during the Sprint Planning Meeting.
Reference the Agile Manifesto: Remember that the Sprint Goal is a commitment by the team to achieve a certain objective, reflecting the principle of 'Working software over comprehensive documentation' from the Agile Manifesto.
Use practical examples: When describing the importance of the Sprint Goal, use practical examples to highlight its role in providing direction and coherence.

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PSM I - Scrum Sprint Goal Example Questions

Test your knowledge of Scrum Sprint Goal

Question 1

In the middle of a Sprint, the Product Owner wishes to modify the Sprint Goal to accommodate critical feedback from stakeholders. How should the Scrum Master handle this situation?

Advise the Product Owner to revise the Product Backlog priorities and propose swapping out less critical work in the current Sprint to address the new feedback, without altering the Sprint Goal. Guide the Product Owner that the Sprint Goal should remain fixed for the duration of the Sprint. Changes requiring adaptation of the Sprint Goal can be assessed for the next Sprint. Encourage the Product Owner to gather more feedback and delay any decisions on incorporating the current feedback until a more comprehensive adjustment to the Sprint Goal can be made in a future Sprint Planning. Recommend the Scrum Team to incorporate the feedback immediately by extending the current Sprint duration to accommodate the changes without changing the Sprint Goal.

Correct Answer: Guide the Product Owner that the Sprint Goal should remain fixed for the duration of the Sprint. Changes requiring adaptation of the Sprint Goal can be assessed for the next Sprint.

The Sprint Goal provides direction for the Scrum Team, helping them to work towards a common objective during the Sprint. It is intended to remain fixed and provide continuity and focus throughout the Sprint. While emerging work can be negotiated within the Sprint's scope, the Sprint Goal itself should not be changed once the Sprint has commenced. If critical new information arises, it might lead to a conversation between the Product Owner and the Scrum Team about the potential need to cancel the Sprint, though this is seen as a last resort. Altering the Sprint Goal on the fly can lead to confusion, reduced focus, and potentially diminish the value delivered in the Sprint. The offered wrong answers are incorrect but are structured to be plausible by incorporating related Scrum concepts, making it more challenging to distinguish the correct course of action.

Question 2

At the end of a Sprint, the team has achieved the Sprint Goal but not all of the Sprint Backlog Items were completed. As the Scrum Master, how would you handle this situation?

Encourage the team to reflect on why all the Backlog Items were not completed, while still recognizing the achievement of the Sprint Goal. Propose the addition of more team members for the next Sprint to ensure all Backlog Items are completed, disregarding the complexity and learning from the current Sprint. Advise the team to prioritize unfinished items for the next Sprint Planning, without reflecting on the reasons for their incompletion. Suggest a modification of the Definition of Done to prevent a future occurrence, ensuring all items can be completed within a Sprint.

Correct Answer: Encourage the team to reflect on why all the Backlog Items were not completed, while still recognizing the achievement of the Sprint Goal.

In Scrum, the primary goal of a Sprint is to achieve the Sprint Goal, not necessarily to complete every item in the Sprint Backlog. When the Sprint Goal is achieved but not all Sprint Backlog Items are completed, it's important for the team to reflect on the situation to understand the reasons behind it and learn from the experience. This could involve discussing what went well, what didn't, and how they could improve in the future. Prioritizing unfinished items without reflection, modifying the Definition of Done without specific reason, or adding more team members without understanding the root causes do not address the principles of continuous improvement and self-management fundamental to Scrum.

Question 3

At the end of the Sprint, the increment is 'Done', but the team has not met the Sprint Goal. What should be the Scrum Master's response?

Advise the Product Owner to adjust the product backlog prioritization to better align future work with potential Sprint Goals. Suggest that the Development Team conducts a special meeting to revise their definition of 'Done' to prevent future discrepancies between the Sprint Goal and the increment. Encourage the team to reflect on the Sprint challenges in the Sprint Retrospective to understand why the Sprint Goal was not met. Immediately start a Sprint planning session to redefine the objectives and ensure that the next Sprint’s Goal is aligned with the Increment.

Correct Answer: Encourage the team to reflect on the Sprint challenges in the Sprint Retrospective to understand why the Sprint Goal was not met.

The key activity for addressing challenges and issues encountered during the Sprint, including not meeting the Sprint Goal, is the Sprint Retrospective. It offers a formal opportunity for the team to reflect, learn, and plan improvements for the next Sprint. Altering the backlog, revising the definition of 'Done', or rushing into planning for the next Sprint does not directly address the underlying issues of not meeting the Sprint Goal.

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