What is a Sprint?

Question

What is a Sprint?

Accepted Answer

A Sprint is a **fixed-length time-box, usually one to four weeks, during which the team produces a usable, potentially releasable Increment**. It is the heartbeat of Scrum — all other events happen within it, and a new Sprint starts immediately after the previous one ends.

## Key properties

```text
- Fixed length (commonly 2 weeks) — never extended to "finish"
- A Sprint Goal gives the Sprint a single coherent objective
- No changes that endanger the Sprint Goal during the Sprint
- Scope may be clarified or renegotiated with the Product Owner
- Ends with a Review and a Retrospective
```

## Concrete example

A team commits to the Sprint Goal "users can log in and reset passwords." For two weeks they build toward that goal, hold a daily standup, then demo the result and reflect.

## Common pitfalls

- Extending a Sprint by a few days to "fit everything in" — this breaks the fixed cadence and hides estimation problems.
- Changing the length every Sprint, which destroys the ability to compare velocity.
- Cramming unrelated work in with no unifying Sprint Goal.

## Why it matters

A fixed time-box forces decisions: when time is constant, the team negotiates scope rather than slipping deadlines.

The regular rhythm produces predictable delivery and frequent inspection points, which is exactly what makes Scrum empirical.