Sprint Planning in Azure DevOps

Sprint planning is an essential part of Agile development, and Azure DevOps provides an excellent set of tools to help teams plan, track, and manage their sprints.

Here are the steps to create and manage sprint planning in Azure DevOps:

Step 1: Create a new sprint To create a new sprint, follow these steps:

1. In Azure DevOps, open your team project and select the Boards tab from the top navigation bar.
2. Click on the Sprints option from the left-hand menu.
3. Click on the New Sprint button to create a new sprint.
4. Enter a name for the sprint and set the start and end dates for the sprint.
5. Click the Save and Close button to save the new sprint.

Step 2: Add work items to the sprint backlog Once you have created the new sprint, you can add work items to the sprint backlog. Follow these steps:

1. Open the sprint backlog for the newly created sprint.
2. Add the work items to the backlog by clicking the Add work items button.
3. Select the work items you want to add to the sprint backlog.
4. Drag and drop the selected work items to the desired position in the sprint backlog.

Step 3: Estimate effort for each work item To estimate effort for each work item, follow these steps:

1. Open the sprint backlog for the sprint.
2. Select the work item you want to estimate effort for.
3. Click on the work item to open the details pane.
4. In the details pane, click on the Effort field and enter the estimated effort for the work item.

Step 4: Prioritize work items in the sprint backlog Prioritizing work items in the sprint backlog is an important step in sprint planning. Follow these steps to prioritize work items:

1. Open the sprint backlog for the sprint.
2. Select the work items you want to prioritize.
3. Drag and drop the selected work items to the desired position in the sprint backlog.

Step 5: Review and finalize the sprint backlog Once you have added work items, estimated effort, and prioritized the work items, it’s time to review and finalize the sprint backlog. Follow these steps:

1. Open the sprint backlog for the sprint.
2. Review the work items in the backlog and make any necessary adjustments to effort or priority.
3. Click on the Save button to save any changes to the sprint backlog.

Step 6: Start the sprint Once you have finalized the sprint backlog, it’s time to start the sprint. Follow these steps:

1. Open the sprint backlog for the sprint.
2. Click on the Start Sprint button to start the sprint.
3. The sprint will now be in progress and you can begin working on the tasks in the sprint backlog.

Step 7: Monitor progress with the sprint burndown chart You can use the sprint burndown chart to monitor the progress of the sprint. Follow these steps to view the sprint burndown chart:

1. Open the sprint backlog for the sprint.
2. Click on the Charts tab.
3. Select the Sprint Burndown chart from the list of available charts.
4. The sprint burndown chart will show you how much work is remaining in the sprint and whether you are on track to complete the sprint on time.

In summary, sprint planning is an important part of Agile project management. With Azure DevOps, you can easily create and manage sprints, estimate effort, prioritize work items, and monitor progress with the sprint burndown chart. By following these simple steps, you can ensure that your team stays on track and delivers high-quality work in each sprint.