According to the Scrum Guide, a Sprint can be cancelled—but only by the Product Owner, and only if the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete.
That sounds a bit vague, doesn’t it? What does “obsolete” really mean?
It means that there may be times when - due to changes in the Market, new opportunities or changes in our technical understanding - the Sprint Goal is no longer the highest priority goal. Something has changed—maybe in the market, in your company's priorities, or in your technical understanding—and the goal you were working toward is no longer relevant or even important in light of new information. When that is the case, then continuing the Sprint would just create waste. It's better to stop, regroup, and plan something new that actually delivers value.
Real-World Examples
In over 20 years of using Scrum, I’ve only seen a Sprint cancelled twice.
In the first case, a new contract was announced by the client, and pursuing that opportunity was - by far - more important than anything else we were working on. The existing Sprint Goal wasn’t wrong, but it was no longer the best use of our time. The Product Owner cancelled the Sprint, and the Scrum team planned a new Sprint based on the Product Owner's new priorities.
In the second case, the team realized that what we were trying to build wasn’t technically feasible. So, we informed the Product Owner, and she cancelled the Sprint so that we could focus on other work.
When Not to Cancel the Sprint
Sometimes, when you are partway through the Sprint, the team realizes that they will not be able to reach the Sprint Goal by the end of the Sprint. Things are taking longer than expected, for example, or team members were out sick. When that happens, you don't cancel the Sprint. You don't even extend the Sprint. You take your lumps and you learn from them.
Why? If you extend the Sprint - or worse, cancel it - every time you need more time, how will you ever learn how much you can actually deliver? It would be like constantly moving the goal post every time you shoot for a goal. How would you ever learn how much effort was required?
And as far as cancelling a sprint, well, that should be rare. It's disruptive and bad for morale. But if the goal no longer delivers value, then on those rare occasions, it makes sense for the Product Owner to make the call to cancel the Sprint so that the Scrum team can stop and replan.
What Happens to the Sprint Review?
If a Sprint is cancelled, does that mean the Sprint Review gets rescheduled?
The Scrum Guide doesn’t say. In my experience, teams usually try to stick to the original Sprint Review date, especially if stakeholders are used to meeting on a regular cadence. Depending on how much time is left in the Sprint when it's cancelled, you may:
Run a shorter Sprint to line up with the existing calendar.
Skip a Sprint Review entirely and combine the work into the next one.
Hold a quick discussion to explain why the Sprint was cancelled and what’s next.
Final Thoughts
A Sprint should only be cancelled if the Sprint Goal is no longer important. This isn’t a casual decision. It’s a last resort and it should only happen if continuing the Sprint won’t deliver value. But when the goal no longer matters, cancelling and replanning is not just okay—it’s the right thing to do.