Sprint Goal

Sprint Goal

Define or refine the sprint goal for "$ARGUMENTS". Craft a clear goal statement, define success criteria, and distinguish committed work from stretch goals.

Prerequisites

Check that .project/$ARGUMENTS/00-initiate.md exists. If it does not, tell the user to run an Initiate skill first (e.g., project-charter) and stop.

If the user passes --skip-checks, skip the prerequisite check and log the skip to .project/$ARGUMENTS/skip-log.md with a timestamp and reason.

Process

1. Read existing context:

   • Read .project/$ARGUMENTS/00-initiate.md for project vision and objectives
   • Read .project/$ARGUMENTS/01-plan.md if it exists (for backlog, roadmap, and sprint planning artifacts)
   • Read .project/$ARGUMENTS/02-sprint.md if it exists (for previous sprint goals and outcomes)

2. Craft the sprint goal statement:

   • Write one clear sentence describing what the team will deliver and why it matters
   • The goal should be outcome-oriented, not task-oriented
   • It should answer: "At the end of this sprint, what will be true that is not true today?"
   • Good examples: "Users can complete checkout end-to-end" or "Search returns relevant results within 200ms"
   • Bad examples: "Complete tickets PROJ-101 through PROJ-115" or "Work on the backend"
   • The goal must be achievable within the sprint timebox

3. Define success criteria:

   • List 3-5 specific, measurable criteria that define "what does success look like at sprint end"
   • Each criterion should be verifiable: someone can look at it and say yes or no
   • Include both functional criteria (features work) and quality criteria (tests pass, no regressions)
   • Examples: "User can sign up with email and password," "API response time under 500ms," "All acceptance criteria for stories X, Y, Z are met"

4. Distinguish committed vs. stretch work:

   • Committed work: stories the team is confident they will complete (80% confidence or higher)
   • Stretch goals: stories the team will attempt if committed work finishes early
   • Committed work should directly support the sprint goal
   • Stretch goals may support the sprint goal or address other priorities
   • Be explicit about the boundary — the team should know exactly what is committed

5. Create a rallying statement:

   • Distill the sprint goal into a short phrase the team can rally around
   • This is the elevator pitch version: if someone asks "what are you working on this sprint?" the answer is this phrase
   • It should be memorable and motivating, not bureaucratic

6. Write the artifact — append to .project/$ARGUMENTS/02-sprint.md under a ## Sprint Goal section:

   • Sprint Goal Statement — one clear sentence
   • Success Criteria — 3-5 measurable criteria
   • Committed Work — stories the team commits to completing
   • Stretch Goals — stories to attempt if capacity allows
   • Rallying Statement — short phrase for the team

Output

Sprint goal appended to .project/$ARGUMENTS/02-sprint.md. Present a summary highlighting:

• The sprint goal statement
• Number of success criteria defined
• Committed story count and point total
• Stretch goal count and point total
• The rallying statement