Sprint
A sprint is a fixed-length iteration (usually 2 weeks) in Scrum in which the development team delivers a defined set of work and a working software increment.
The sprint is the heart of Scrum and the rhythm of agile software development. In regular, equal-length iterations the team delivers working software – not someday, but every two weeks. That predictability gives stakeholders confidence and the team a clear rhythm. Each sprint is a mini-project with planning, execution, review and reflection.
What is Sprint?
A sprint is a time-boxed development cycle of fixed length, usually 1–4 weeks. During a sprint the Scrum team builds a potentially shippable product increment. The sprint has four events: Sprint Planning (what will we do and how?), Daily Scrum (daily 15-minute sync), Sprint Review (show outcome to stakeholders) and Sprint Retrospective (team reflection and process improvement). The sprint goal gives an overall direction. Once started, the sprint scope should not be changed – new work goes into the backlog for the next sprint.
How does Sprint work?
In Sprint Planning the team picks items from the Product Backlog and builds the Sprint Backlog with concrete tasks. Daily the team meets for the Daily Scrum: What did I do yesterday? What today? Any blockers? At the end the team shows the result in the Review – stakeholders give feedback that feeds into backlog prioritisation. In the Retrospective the team reflects: What went well? What can we improve? What will we change next sprint? Then the cycle repeats.
Practical Examples
Sprint 1 of an MVP: Login, registration and profile page – by the end a user can register and log in.
Feature sprint: The team implements cart functionality with product selection, quantity and price in one 2-week sprint.
Bug-fix sprint: After a release, critical bugs are prioritised and fixed in a focused sprint before new features.
Performance sprint: The team optimises load times, queries and caching – measurable improvement as the sprint goal.
Typical Use Cases
Product development: Delivering new features in predictable intervals and validating them
Client projects: Regular deliverables give clients transparency and control
Bug fixing and stabilisation: Focused sprints for quality after a release
Prototyping: Short (1-week) sprints for proof-of-concept and validation
Onboarding: New members learn the codebase and process within the sprint structure
Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages
- Predictability: Fixed timeboxes enable reliable forecasts for stakeholders
- Regular feedback: Every 2 weeks stakeholders can review and steer
- Focus: The team works on a clear set of tasks without new work mid-sprint
- Measurability: Velocity (story points per sprint) makes team output visible and predictable
- Learning: Every retrospective lets the team improve
Disadvantages
- Sprint overhead: Planning, review and retrospective take time – with very short sprints overhead can dominate
- Rigid scope: Urgent changes during the sprint are not planned for and can disrupt focus
- Velocity pressure: Measuring output per sprint can create unhealthy pressure
- Not for all work: Support, maintenance and ad-hoc work often fit Kanban better than sprints
Frequently Asked Questions about Sprint
How long should a sprint be?
What if not everything is done by the end of the sprint?
Can you cancel a sprint early?
Related Terms
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