Running the sprint planning meeting

Sprint planning has two parts: in the first part the product owner describes the stories he/she wants, why he/she wants them, and how they provide value or solve a problem. The product owner also answers clarifying questions from the team. During the second part of the sprint planning meeting, the development team members discuss the approach, tasks, ownership of tasks, and other tactics for meeting their commitments.

Part I – the What and the Why

Start with the end in mind. The goal of each sprint is for the team to deliver a potentially shippable product increment—features that work, features that the customer can put their hands on. The purpose of sprint planning is to figure out how to do that.

The product owner drives the first part of sprint planning by giving detail about the most important items from the product backlog. As the product owner reviews and explains the stories, the team asks questions to clarify the product owner's needs. You can further...