About adaptation in Sprint Planning
Hello all,
I'm surprised to see in this article about Sprint Planning event that the Sprint Goal is adapted. In fact, during the sprint, the Scrum Guide clearly states that the Sprint Goal should not normally be called into question throughout the sprint.
Perhaps I'm confused about the meaning of the adaptation pillar? Thanks for your clarifications
I don't see where that article is saying anything about the Sprint Goal being "called into question throughout the Sprint".
The term "adaptation" means "to change or make suitable" - the Sprint Goal is created at the Sprint Planning, so if you consider "creating" as "changing or making suitable", then it seems to be consistent with the purpose of the event.
The Sprint Goal may very well be adapted during Sprint Planning, in order to assert a more valuable objective with a better forecast of work.
At the end of Sprint Planning, however, the Scrum Team will have a Sprint Backlog consisting of the Sprint Goal, which is a commitment, and a forecast of work for achieving that Goal, which is not.
I don't see where that article is saying anything about the Sprint Goal being "called into question throughout the Sprint
The sprint goal is shown in the 'adaptation' column of the table provided in the article.
In the Scrum Guide we can read in the Sprint' topic:
"No changes are made that would endanger the Sprint Goal"
I mistakenly thought that the adaptation occurred during the sprint and not during the event.
Thank you for your reply.
Perhaps something to consider is that the Sprint Goal commitment and Sprint Backlog artifact are ephemeral, they are expected to change with each Sprint based on what is learned and what is most valuable to focus on next. I think of the adaptation of Sprint Goal in Sprint Planning as changing from one Sprint Goal to the next. Once the Sprint Goal is set, that is when the "no changes are made that would endanger the Sprint Goal" kicks in (lasting only until the next Sprint where Spring Goal is adapted again).
You will find similar adaptations listed for other commitments, artifacts etc. for each Scrum Event: https://www.scrum.org/learning-series/scrum-events/
For what it is worth, I can see how this use of Adaptation may feel different from how Adaptation is defined in the Scrum Theory section of the Scrum Guide as it reads like "adjust if we find deviations". From the Scrum Guide...
Adaptation
If any aspects of a process deviate outside acceptable limits or if the resulting product is unacceptable, the process being applied or the materials being produced must be adjusted. The adjustment must be made as soon as possible to minimize further deviation.
Adaptation means this and also means making other changes to keep us progressing with value delivery and alignment with the Product Goal.