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Sprint Planning Meeting Template ​

Plan successful sprints with clear goals, realistic commitments, and team alignment.

📋 The Template ​

markdown
# Sprint Planning: Sprint [#]
**Date:** [Date]
**Sprint Duration:** [Start Date] to [End Date]
**Team Capacity:** [Total story points available]
**Duration:** 2 hours (for 2-week sprint)

## Sprint Goal (10 min)
**What are we trying to achieve this sprint?**
- [Primary objective]
- [Success criteria]
- [How this aligns with product roadmap]

## Review Last Sprint (15 min)
### What Went Well
- [Success 1]
- [Success 2]

### What Didn't Go Well
- [Challenge 1]
- [Challenge 2]

### Velocity
- **Planned:** [X story points]
- **Completed:** [Y story points]
- **Velocity:** [Average over last 3 sprints]

## Team Capacity (10 min)
### Availability This Sprint
- [Team Member 1]: [X days available] = [Y story points]
- [Team Member 2]: [X days available] = [Y story points]
- **Total Capacity:** [Z story points]

### Known Constraints
- [Holiday/PTO]
- [Other commitments]
- [Dependencies on other teams]

## Backlog Review (60 min)
### High Priority Items
**Story 1:** [Title]
- Story Points: [X]
- Acceptance Criteria:
  - [ ] [Criterion 1]
  - [ ] [Criterion 2]
- Dependencies: [Any blockers]
- Assigned to: [Name]

**Story 2:** [Title]
- Story Points: [X]
- Acceptance Criteria:
  - [ ] [Criterion 1]
  - [ ] [Criterion 2]
- Dependencies: [Any blockers]
- Assigned to: [Name]

### Technical Debt / Bugs
- [Item 1] - [X points]
- [Item 2] - [X points]

## Sprint Commitment (15 min)
### Stories Committed
- [ ] [Story 1] - [X points]
- [ ] [Story 2] - [X points]
- [ ] [Story 3] - [X points]
- **Total Committed:** [Y points]

### Stretch Goals (if capacity allows)
- [ ] [Story 4] - [X points]

## Risks & Dependencies (10 min)
### Risks
- [Risk 1] - Mitigation: [Plan]
- [Risk 2] - Mitigation: [Plan]

### External Dependencies
- [Dependency 1] - Owner: [Name]
- [Dependency 2] - Owner: [Name]

## Definition of Done
- [ ] Code complete and reviewed
- [ ] Tests written and passing
- [ ] Documentation updated
- [ ] Deployed to staging
- [ ] Acceptance criteria met
- [ ] Product owner approved

## Action Items
- [ ] @[Name]: [Action] - Due: [Date]
- [ ] @[Name]: Update sprint board
- [ ] @[Name]: Schedule mid-sprint check-in

💡 How to Run Effective Sprint Planning ​

Before the Meeting ​

  • Groom the backlog - Stories should be ready and estimated
  • Check team capacity - Know who's available
  • Review last sprint - Learn from what happened

During the Meeting ​

  • Start with the goal - What's the one thing we must achieve?
  • Don't over-commit - Leave buffer for unknowns
  • Break down large stories - Nothing bigger than 8 points

After the Meeting ​

  • Update the board - Move committed stories to sprint
  • Share sprint goal - Make it visible to everyone
  • Set up daily stand-ups - Confirm time and format

✅ Pro Tips ​

  • Time-box story discussion - 5 minutes max per story
  • Use planning poker - Get team consensus on estimates
  • Include buffer - Plan for 80% of capacity, not 100%
  • Focus on value - Prioritize customer impact over technical preferences
  • Make it collaborative - Everyone should contribute

🚀 Skip the Note-Taking ​

Potato joins your sprint planning and does work while you talk. Need to look something up? Ask and get an answer in 30 seconds. Decisions and actions are captured automatically.

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