Sprint Planning is often seen as the longest and most exhausting Scrum event. Teams sometimes spend hours debating, estimating, and overthinking, which drains energy instead of building excitement. But the truth is, sprint planning doesn’t have to feel like a burden. With the right approach, a two-week Sprint can be planned in as little as 90 minutes, leaving the team energized and confident about achieving their sprint goal.
At HelloSM, the best Scrum training institute in India and the best scrum training institute in Hyderabad, we teach practical strategies to make sprint planning productive, purposeful, and engaging. Let’s explore common warning signs that your team is struggling with Sprint Planning and actionable tips to turn it around.
Warning Signs Your Sprint Planning Needs Fixing
Meetings Drag On and Feel Painful
If your Sprint Planning sessions feel endless and team members complain, it’s a red flag. While no one loves long meetings, Sprint Planning should at least feel valuable. When it turns into a draining activity, enthusiasm for the Sprint drops.
Teams Frequently Miss Their Sprint Goal
Not every Sprint will be perfect, but consistently failing to meet Sprint Goals signals poor planning. Long, painful meetings only worsen the frustration when results don’t follow.
Lack of Excitement After Planning
When Sprint Planning is done well, teams leave motivated and eager to start the work. If members walk out unenthused, it shows planning discussions are not connecting the work to a bigger purpose.
3 Ways to Stop Struggling with Sprint Planning
Keep It Short but Purposeful
Aim for focused and fast-paced planning sessions. For a two-week Sprint, 90 minutes is usually enough. Avoid both extremes: rushing through in 30 minutes (risking missed details) or stretching it to 3+ hours (leading to disengagement). The sweet spot is structured discussions that respect time and energy.
Limit Time on Estimates
Sprint backlogs should have tasks with rough estimates but don’t get stuck perfecting them. Keep estimates under one day of effort, and break large tasks into smaller ones. These are not promises but quick checks to ensure the workload feels balanced. Example: Coding Task 1 – 6 hrs, Coding Task 2 – 6 hrs, Testing – 6 hrs, Design – 2 hrs, and User Review – 3 hrs. Once your team gains confidence, you can even skip estimates and just focus on task lists.
Don’t Try to Capture Everything
You won’t think of every single task during Sprint Planning and that’s okay. Capture the obvious tasks quickly, pause for a few seconds to allow additional input, then move on. As the Sprint progresses, new tasks will naturally emerge.
To avoid overfilling, plan slightly less than your total capacity. For example, a six-person team working 10 days at 5 to 6 productive hours per day equals 300–360 hours. Plan for 250 hours up front, leaving room for unplanned but inevitable discoveries.
Why This Matters for Teams and Organizations?
When Sprint Planning is done right, it stops being a painful ritual and becomes a powerful motivator. Teams leave with a clear Sprint Goal, A realistic and flexible backlog, and Shared excitement to deliver value.
This is what separates high-performing Agile teams from those who constantly struggle. Learning these practices through professional training at HelloSM, a top training institute in India, helps teams adopt strategies that work in real projects.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should Sprint Planning take for a two-week Sprint?
Ideally, about 90 minutes. It should be long enough to clarify goals and tasks, but not so long that it drains the team’s energy.
Should every task be estimated in Sprint Planning?
No. Estimates should be quick and under one day of effort. The goal is balance, not precision. Over time, some teams even drop estimates completely.
What if the team forgets tasks during Sprint Planning?
That’s normal. Not every task can be identified upfront. Leave buffer time by not fully loading the Sprint, so new tasks can be accommodated.
Why choose HelloSM for Scrum Training?
HelloSM is recognized as one of the top training institutes in India. With expert trainers, practical case studies, and real-world guidance, HelloSM ensures professionals not only learn Scrum but also apply it effectively in their careers.
