What is the Sprint Goal?
The Sprint Goal is a short explanation of what the team aims to achieve in the Sprint and why it is valuable to stakeholders. The goal is established during the Sprint Planning and then added to the Sprint Backlog.
This goal provides coherence and focus. It also encourages the Scrum Team to collaborate rather than working on separate initiatives.
Commitment of the Sprint Backlog
The Sprint Goal is the sole objective for the Sprint. Scrum also refers to it as the commitment of the Sprint Backlog. This does not mean the Developers commit to completing all the Product Backlog items selected for the Sprint’s end. It means the Developers commit to keeping the Sprint’s goal in mind and doing everything to achieve this goal.
During the Sprint, the work may turn out differently than the Developers initially thought. For example, something may take longer than anticipated. This is not a problem and often occurs in Scrum Teams. The team learns by doing and makes decisions based on what is known.
Then the Developers and Product Owner collaborate to negotiate over the Sprint Backlog items (the scope), without changing the Sprint Goal. Sprint Backlog items may be removed as long as this does not jeopardize the goal.