Managing an entire team can be arduous, especially when dealing with projects that need agility and a focused team. For missions like that, there is a method called sprint planning.

All kinds of businesses and teams can apply this technique. Whether you are a marketing or development team, the planning process and execution will be the same.

To achieve the sprint goal and guarantee that the agile teams get the best results out of this experience, it is indispensable that the members understand the process. Moreover, having a sprint planning template also helps in many other aspects of the project.

This article will show you how to create a template for your sprint planning meeting. Follow each step carefully to guarantee a clear, optimized document that fits your needs and sprint goals.

A sprint is a method used by managers to support the development process. It can be considered a project management tool to keep the whole team on the same page and optimize performance.

Sprint planning always has a specific period of time, which is often short. The technique is more frequently used in large projects to prioritize tasks and help the development team to organize the deliverables and necessary tasks.

Sprint is an agile methodology, so it’s focused on extracting the maximum amount of the team’s capacity in a short time. For effective sprint planning, you must create a solid template.

Although they might sound the same, there are significant differences between sprint plan, scrum, and agile. They are all related to each other in some way or another.

The scrum is a part of the agile methodology, while the sprint is one part of the scrum framework. The scrum team is responsible for meetings, tools, and roles used in the upcoming sprint.

Then the sprint is a specific time destined to develop a particular feature or part of a project. Although they are different terms, they are directly related.

This way, you can have an agile sprint plan or create a scrum sprint planning template for the project.

Now that you know what sprint planning is and why it is an extremely helpful tool, it is time to understand how to create a sprint planning template for your agile project. From the template layout to the number of items included, everything can have a different impact when building this kind of document.

Be sure to follow each step carefully to ensure your document is optimized for your next sprint. This way, you will have a timeline that will help your team understand what needs to be done and how.

Project Title and Manager

First, you must identify the sprint planning by filling in the name of the project and the manager responsible for the agile sprint. It is common for companies to make sprints often.

Identifying new documents avoids mistaking a new timeline with the last sprint.

Sprint Backlog

The first step when planning a new sprint is to list the backlog items. These items are like the team’s tasks.

The scrum master must assign what each team member should do and what tasks must be completed until the end of the agile sprint. Whether when working with specific tasks or general objectives, everything must be listed in the agile sprint plan.

User Stories

After listing all backlog items, you must assign the user story points for your sprint planning template. The story points are a measurement used to estimate the effort required to complete each task featured in the current sprint.

The scrum master usually uses between 5 and 15 stories per sprint. This decision is typically made by the scrum teams based on the complexity of the project and the number of steps.

Features

The features of your sprint planning are like the details included in each sprint. They can serve as orientation for the members when starting to work on the next sprint task.

In the agile sprint, each product backlog includes different features. Be sure to highlight them for a more optimized document.

Start and End Dates

One of the most important parts of the sprint planning meeting is to assign the action due dates. The project manager usually makes this decision, but there are also times when the team decides the dates on which it will happen.

Remember that a sprint is a quick event. Ideally, it should not take more than four days.

Sprint Review

The last thing you will add to your agile sprint template is the review field for the action. It will be filled after the conclusion and feature all important considerations and feedback.

This feedback must get shared with the entire team. This way, the members can reflect on what went well and what didn’t.

When it comes to creating sprint planning templates, there are tons of tools available online. From known software to specific tools, each one has its own features and benefits.

Among all the options available, we highly recommend using the Microsoft Office pack for this task. It features all the essential software that you will need. Moreover, it is an industry standard, dismissing the need for specialized software for each task of your business.

If you don’t have a Microsoft Office activation key, you can find one at RoyalCDKeys for a considerably lower price. This way, you can have access to all features and still save money.

If you don’t want to create your template from scratch, there is no problem. Here are some templates that you can download and edit using Microsoft Office to better fit your needs:

Template #1

Sprint planning Excel template. The document indicated for users who want to create a Gantt chart spreadsheet.

Get this template

Template #2

Sprint planning Word document. Perfect for users who want to use Word to keep track of their meetings.

Get this template

Template #3

Sprint planning PowerPoint template. It is indicated for users looking for a slide presentation with visually pleasant elements.

Get this template

Agile sprint planning documents are undoubtedly one of the most powerful tools for management and agile development for services and products. But the entire document must be planned out and filled properly.

Every aspect of the template will have a different impact during the sprint and, consequently, on the result. Keeping it objective and clear are two indispensable parts of the process.

Now that you know everything you need about sprints, it is time to start creating your own template. Be sure to follow each step carefully to guarantee the best results out of your document.

Using Microsoft Office will allow you to create the perfect template and change even the smallest details of it. This way, you will definitely end up with a document that can be a game-changer regarding development strategies.