Automating Sprint Planning: Optimize Your Scrum Team’s Velocity

Scrum teams often struggle to determine how much work to pull into their sprints. The result? Sprints are frequently late, teams become overwhelmed, and productivity suffers. Leveraging AI for sprint planning solves these issues by automating a crucial Scrum principle known as Yesterday’s Weather.

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What Is Yesterday’s Weather?

“Yesterday’s Weather” is a Scrum technique that predicts the work a team can accomplish based on their average velocity in recent sprints. This proven practice helps teams avoid over-committing and under-delivering, enhancing predictability and satisfaction.

Automating Yesterday’s Weather with AI

AI tools integrated with Jira automation streamline sprint planning, ensuring accuracy without manual effort:

1. Calculating Average Velocity
   AI analyzes completed points from the last three sprints to determine your team’s average velocity.
2. Adjusting for Team Availability
   The AI identifies team members’ availability, automatically adjusting sprint commitments to realistic levels.
3. Setting an Intelligent Buffer
   Historical Jira data allows AI to automatically calculate an appropriate buffer for unforeseen tasks, ensuring a balanced sprint.
4. Generating a Sprint Plan
   AI instantly recommends an optimal number of points, removing the guesswork from sprint planning.

Real-World Example

If your team completed 52, 58, and 64 points in the last three sprints, your average velocity is 58 points. If a key team member is out for one day, contributing an average of 5 points daily, your adjusted velocity becomes 48 points. Accounting for an average of 5 unplanned points, your sprint plan is now:

• Planned total points: 53
• Planned story points: 48
• Buffer: 5 points

Why Adopt AI for Sprint Planning?

Implementing AI automation significantly enhances sprint outcomes by:

• ✅ Eliminating time-consuming sprint planning debates
• ✅ Providing accurate sprint forecasting
• ✅ Reducing team burnout
• ✅ Sustaining predictable velocity
• ✅ Accelerating team productivity and success

Embrace the Future of Sprint Planning

Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and Agile Teams can dramatically improve their efficiency by adopting AI for sprint planning. Trust data-driven sprint forecasting and free your team to focus on delivering real value.

Ready to revolutionize your sprint planning with AI? Start today!