# Sprint Planning — Exercises

## Exercise 1: Write a Sprint Goal

**Task:** Your team is working on a "v2 search" release. The backlog has: basic keyword search, filters, search suggestions, export results, save searches. Write a sprint goal that focuses on one outcome (e.g., "Users can find products by keyword and filter by category") and explicitly excludes 1–2 items.

**Validation:**
- [ ] Goal is one sentence, outcome-focused
- [ ] At least one item is explicitly out of scope
- [ ] Success could be demoed or measured

**Hints:**
1. "Enable users to..." or "Reduce time to..." are good openings
2. "Complete X, Y, Z features" is output—rewrite as outcome
3. Out-of-scope prevents "why didn't we do export?" surprises

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## Exercise 2: Story Point Calibration

**Task:** You have a "baseline" story: "Add a 'Forgot password' link to the login screen" = 2 points. Estimate these relative to it: (A) "Implement OAuth login with Google," (B) "Add form validation to 5 fields," (C) "Replace legacy auth service with new API." Assign points and explain the ratios.

**Validation:**
- [ ] Each story has a point value
- [ ] Ratio to baseline is explained (e.g., "3× the complexity")
- [ ] Uncertainty is reflected (larger = more unknown)

**Hints:**
1. OAuth = new integration, multiple flows → 5 or 8
2. Form validation = repetitive but known → 2 or 3
3. Replace legacy = high risk, unknowns → 8 or 13

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## Exercise 3: Capacity vs Velocity

**Task:** Team of 4, 2-week sprint. Each person has 6 productive hours/day. Last 3 sprints: 32, 28, 35 points. Calculate capacity in person-hours. What's average velocity? How many points would you forecast, and why?

**Validation:**
- [ ] Capacity = 4 × 10 × 6 = 240 person-hours (or similar)
- [ ] Velocity ≈ 31–32 points
- [ ] Forecast is justified (e.g., "slightly under velocity for buffer")

**Hints:**
1. Don't assume 100% utilization
2. Velocity varies—use average or trend
3. Consider pulling 85–90% of velocity for safety

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## Exercise 4: Planning Poker Scenario

**Task:** Run a "mental" planning poker for "Add real-time notifications when a teammate comments on your PR." List 3 reasons someone might vote 2, and 3 reasons someone might vote 8. What discussion would resolve the gap?

**Validation:**
- [ ] Reasons for low estimate (simplicity, existing infra)
- [ ] Reasons for high estimate (integration, edge cases, unknowns)
- [ ] Discussion topics that would align the team

**Hints:**
1. Low: "We have a notification service already"
2. High: "Real-time means WebSockets, testing, browser support"
3. Resolve by: defining "real-time," checking existing systems, splitting scope

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## Exercise 5: Definition of Ready Checklist

**Task:** Create a 4-item Definition of Ready. Apply it to: "As a user, I want to see my order history, so I can track past purchases." Score each criterion (ready / not ready) and list what's missing.

**Validation:**
- [ ] DoR has 4 concrete, testable criteria
- [ ] Each criterion is scored for the story
- [ ] Gaps are listed with specific next steps

**Hints:**
1. Example criteria: acceptance criteria, dependencies identified, sized, technically feasible
2. "Order history" might need: API exists? UI design? Pagination?
3. Missing = "Need to confirm API contract," "Design not final"