Elixion

Sprint Planning

How to effectively plan and execute sprints in Elixion

Sprint Planning

Sprint planning is the ceremony where teams decide what to accomplish during the upcoming sprint. This guide covers how to use Elixion's tools for effective sprint planning.

Before Planning

Backlog Preparation

Ensure your backlog is ready:

  1. Refined - Stories are well-defined
  2. Estimated - Points assigned
  3. Prioritized - Ordered by importance
  4. Independent - Minimal dependencies

Review Previous Sprint

Check the last sprint:

  • Velocity achieved
  • Incomplete items
  • Lessons learned
  • Action items

Creating a Sprint

Basic Creation

  1. Go to Sprints in sidebar
  2. Click + New Sprint
  3. Enter details:
    • Name (e.g., "Sprint 15")
    • Start date
    • End date
    • Goal

Sprint Settings

Duration Options:

  • 1 week (5 working days)
  • 2 weeks (10 working days) - Recommended
  • 3 weeks (15 working days)
  • 4 weeks (20 working days)

Sprint Goal: Write a focused objective:

Sprint Goal: Complete user authentication flow
including login, logout, and password reset.

Planning Session

Step 1: Set Capacity

Calculate available team capacity:

  1. Go to sprint details
  2. Click Set Capacity
  3. Enter each team member's availability:

| Member | Days Available | Notes | |--------|----------------|-------| | Alice | 10 | Full time | | Bob | 8 | Vacation Fri-Mon | | Carol | 10 | Full time | | Dave | 5 | 50% on other project |

Total Capacity: 33 person-days

Step 2: Review Backlog

Open the backlog view alongside sprint:

  1. Filter backlog by:
    • Ready for sprint
    • Priority
    • Epic/theme
  2. Review top items
  3. Discuss with team

Step 3: Select Items

Drag items from backlog to sprint:

Backlog                    Sprint 15
─────────                  ─────────
☐ AUTH-105 (8 pts)    →    ☑ AUTH-100 (5 pts)
☐ AUTH-106 (5 pts)         ☑ AUTH-101 (8 pts)
☐ AUTH-107 (3 pts)         ☑ AUTH-102 (5 pts)
☐ AUTH-108 (2 pts)         ☑ AUTH-103 (3 pts)
                           ─────────────────
                           Total: 21/30 pts

Step 4: Verify Dependencies

Check for blockers:

  1. Click Check Dependencies
  2. Review any blockers:
    • Within sprint (ok)
    • Outside sprint (risk)
  3. Resolve or accept risks

Step 5: Commit

Once team agrees:

  1. Review final scope
  2. Confirm sprint goal is achievable
  3. Click Start Sprint

During the Sprint

Daily Management

Sprint Board:

  • View current sprint on board
  • Move issues between columns
  • See daily progress

Burndown:

  • Check daily burndown
  • Identify trends early
  • Take action if needed

Adding Issues

If scope changes:

  1. Discuss with team
  2. Add issue to sprint
  3. Consider removing equal effort
  4. Note scope change

Removing Issues

If item can't be completed:

  1. Discuss with product owner
  2. Move to backlog or next sprint
  3. Note reason
  4. Update sprint scope

Sprint Tracking

Burndown Chart

Monitor daily progress:

Remaining Points
  30 ┤●
     │ ╲
  20 ┤  ●─●      Ideal Line
     │     ╲  ●─●
  10 ┤      ╲     ●     Actual
     │       ╲     ╲
   0 ┼─────────●────────
     Day 1  3   5   7   9  10

Interpretations:

  • Above ideal: Behind schedule
  • Below ideal: Ahead of schedule
  • Flat line: Blocked or not updating

Progress Dashboard

View sprint health:

| Metric | Value | Status | |--------|-------|--------| | Completion | 60% | ✅ On track | | Days Left | 4 | | | Points Done | 18/30 | | | Blocked | 0 | ✅ | | Added | 2 pts | ⚠️ |

Issue Status

Track individual items:

Status Distribution:
■■■■■■░░░░ To Do (30%)
■■■■■■■■░░ In Progress (40%)
■■■■■■■■■■ Done (30%)

Completing a Sprint

Pre-Completion

Before ending:

  1. Review all items
  2. Move incomplete to backlog
  3. Update statuses
  4. Prepare demo

Sprint Review

Demo completed work:

  1. Show working functionality
  2. Gather feedback
  3. Accept/reject items
  4. Update backlog

Sprint Retrospective

Reflect on the sprint:

Template:

What went well?
- Fast PR reviews
- Good collaboration
- Met sprint goal

What could improve?
- Too many meetings
- Late requirement changes
- Test coverage

Action items:
- [ ] Reduce meeting time
- [ ] Lock scope after day 2
- [ ] Add testing time to estimates

Close Sprint

  1. Go to sprint
  2. Click Complete Sprint
  3. Handle remaining issues:
    • Move to next sprint
    • Move to backlog
    • Close as won't do
  4. Confirm completion

Advanced Features

Sprint Templates

Create reusable sprint configurations:

  1. Go to Sprint Settings > Templates
  2. Save current sprint as template
  3. Include:
    • Duration
    • Default ceremonies
    • Capacity calculations

Recurring Sprints

Auto-create sprints:

  1. Enable Auto-create Sprints
  2. Set start day (e.g., Monday)
  3. Set duration
  4. Sprints created automatically

Multi-Team Sprints

For larger teams:

  1. Create sprint at portfolio level
  2. Teams create their own sub-sprints
  3. Track aggregate progress

Sprint Goals Board

Visualize goals across sprints:

Q1 Goals
├── Sprint 1: Authentication ✅
├── Sprint 2: User Profiles 🔄
├── Sprint 3: Payments
└── Sprint 4: Mobile App

Best Practices

Planning

✓ Do:

  • Involve whole team
  • Use historical velocity
  • Leave buffer (15-20%)
  • Define clear acceptance

✗ Don't:

  • Plan in isolation
  • Over-commit
  • Ignore dependencies
  • Skip refinement

Execution

✓ Do:

  • Update issues daily
  • Raise blockers early
  • Focus on sprint goal
  • Collaborate frequently

✗ Don't:

  • Let issues go stale
  • Hide problems
  • Work on non-sprint items
  • Skip standups

Completion

✓ Do:

  • Demo all work
  • Celebrate wins
  • Learn from misses
  • Implement retro actions

✗ Don't:

  • Extend sprints
  • Skip retrospectives
  • Blame individuals
  • Carry too much over

Next: Capacity Planning - Manage team capacity effectively