Template
Sprint Planning Canvas.
A structured template to align your team on sprint goals, capacity, story estimation, and dependencies before committing to work.
Template sections
What the canvas includes
- Sprint goal definition with business value and success metrics.
- Team capacity calculation accounting for PTO, meetings, and overhead.
- Story estimation grid with planning poker or t-shirt sizing.
- Dependency mapping to identify blockers and external integrations.
- Risk assessment matrix for technical complexity and unknowns.
Usage guidance
How to run a planning session
- Review product backlog and prioritize stories with stakeholders.
- Calculate available capacity based on team size and sprint length.
- Size stories collaboratively with the whole team present.
- Map dependencies and flag items requiring coordination.
- Commit to a realistic sprint scope with buffer for unknowns.
Best practices
Avoid common pitfalls
- Don't overcommit based on ideal conditions—plan for reality.
- Ensure every story has clear acceptance criteria before sizing.
- Include technical debt and maintenance work in capacity planning.
- Leave 20% buffer for unplanned work and production issues.
- Review velocity trends from previous sprints to calibrate estimates.
Estimation techniques
Story sizing approaches
- Planning Poker: Team votes simultaneously with cards (1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13).
- T-Shirt Sizes: Use S, M, L, XL for quick relative sizing.
- Affinity Mapping: Group similar-sized stories together visually.
- Reference Stories: Compare new work to completed baseline stories.
- Focus on relative sizing, not precise time estimates.
Success metrics
Track planning effectiveness
- Commitment accuracy: planned vs. completed story points.
- Scope creep: unplanned work added mid-sprint.
- Dependency delays: stories blocked by external teams.
- Estimation variance: difference between estimates and actuals.
- Team confidence: pre-sprint survey on achievability.