What is sprint planning?

Updated Nov 1, 2026

Definition

Sprint planning is the meeting at the start of a sprint where a scrum team agrees the sprint goal, chooses the work it can deliver and plans how to do it. The output is the sprint backlog.

Inputs

A prioritised product backlog.
The team's capacity for the sprint, including time off.
What was learned in the last sprint review and retrospective.

Outputs

Sprint goal: one sentence on what the sprint will achieve.
Sprint backlog: the items the team commits to, broken into tasks.
Owners: who is picking up what to start.

How Acta helps with sprint planning

Acta records sprint planning and writes the decisions and action items with owners. The Ticket suggestions template suggests Jira-ready tickets with type, priority, assignee and due date, and the PRD draft template can capture requirements discussed for new features.

Jira integration

FAQ

How long does sprint planning take?

The Scrum Guide sets a maximum of eight hours for a one-month sprint; shorter sprints usually need proportionally less.

Who attends sprint planning?

The whole scrum team: the developers, the product owner and the scrum master.