Sprint Planning in Jira: Plan Your Next Sprint From the Backlog
Plan the next sprint in Jira: create a sprint, drag the top stories from the backlog into it, check the story points and set a sprint goal. Step by step on a real Jira backlog.
Step by step
The backlog
- Sprint planning. In sprint planning, the team picks the work for the next 2 weeks. In Jira, you plan the sprint straight from the backlog.
- The backlog. Scroll down past the current sprint to the backlog. It holds everything the team has not planned yet.
- Top = most important. The backlog is in priority order, so the most important story sits at the top. As the analyst, you keep this order up to date.
Create the sprint
- Create sprint. Click Create sprint. Jira adds an empty Sprint 2 just above the backlog.
Fill it
- Drag stories in. Drag the top story, Choose a delivery option, from the backlog into Sprint 2. Then drag in the next story, Save a delivery address. Also drag in a bug the team agreed to fix. Bugs belong in the sprint too, so their work counts towards what the team can finish.
Check it
- Check the points. The sprint adds up the story points for you. Compare the total with what the team usually finishes in a sprint. If it is too much, drag a story back to the backlog.
- Start sprint. When the current sprint is finished, click Start sprint. Jira asks for the dates and a sprint goal: one sentence that says why this sprint matters.
Recap
- Plan from the top. Keep the backlog in priority order. Create a sprint, drag in stories from the top, check the points, and give the sprint a goal.
Common mistakes
- Planning from a backlog that is out of order. If the top of the backlog isn't the most important work, the team drags in the wrong stories. Put the backlog in priority order before the planning meeting.
- Stories with no story points. A story with no estimate adds nothing to the sprint total, so the sprint looks lighter than it is. Estimate every story before you drag it in.
- Filling the sprint past what the team usually finishes. Compare the sprint's point total with what the team usually completes in a sprint. If it is higher, drag the lowest-priority story back to the backlog.
- A sprint goal that is just a list of tickets. The goal should be 1 sentence that says why the sprint matters, such as an outcome for users. The stories already show what is in it.
When a business analyst uses this
Before sprint planning, a business analyst orders the backlog by the priorities agreed with stakeholders in a workshop. In the meeting, they help the team drag the top stories into the sprint and write a sprint goal the product owner can explain to stakeholders.
Questions people ask
How do you create a sprint in Jira?
Open the backlog and click Create sprint. Jira adds an empty sprint above the backlog, and you drag stories into it.
How do you do sprint capacity planning in Jira?
As you drag stories in, the sprint adds up their story points. Compare that total with what the team usually finishes in a sprint, and drag stories back to the backlog if it is too much.
What is the purpose of sprint planning?
The team picks the work it will finish in the next sprint, often 2 weeks, and agrees on a sprint goal that says why that work matters.
