Scrum and sprints
Easy Agile Programs uses Jira sprints to accurately reflect the work that is planned, in progress and completed within our app.
Below is an overview of how sprints work in Easy Agile Programs.
What does ‘sprint source’ mean when creating an increment? Which one is best for my release train?
There are two options available when creating an increment:
Shared sprints ‘Teams use shared sprints from a dedicated board’ | Team managed sprints 'Teams independently manage their own sprints on their Team board' |
|---|---|
All the teams in your Program Increment share the same sprints. Benefits of configuring a Program Increment to use shared/global sprints in Jira include:
| All of the teams in your Program Increment manage their own sprints from their agile board in Jira. Benefits of configuring a Program Increment to use team managed sprints in Jira include:
|
 From the Shared sprint board dropdown, select the Board where your shared sprints live/should be created on. If no sprints exist on the board selected, Easy Agile Programs will create them for you. If you have a specific naming convention we recommend you create your sprints before creating an Increment.
|  Once the increment is created, each team will need to map the sprints from their agile board in Jira to the increment. The first time you navigate to the Team Planning Board you will be required to map your sprints to the increment. We recommend doing this straight after creating the Increment, before anyone in the broader team starts planning so that the correct sprints are selected.  Syncing team sprints the first time you go to the Team Planning board If no sprints exist, Easy Agile Programs will create them for you. If you have a specific naming convention we recommend you create your sprints before creating an Increment. |
How to sync sprints
Team managed sprints
Once the increment is created, each team will need to map the sprints from their agile board in Jira to the increment.
The first time you navigate to the Team Planning Board you will be required to map your sprints to the increment.
We recommend doing this straight after creating the Increment, before anyone in the broader team starts planning so that the correct sprints are selected.
If no sprints exist, Easy Agile Programs will create them for you. If you have a specific naming convention we recommend you create your sprints before creating an Increment.
When using team managed sprints, how do I select a sprint that was created on a different board?
When first syncing your sprints, you will only be able to select active sprints that were originally created on your agile board.
To select a sprint created on another board, start by assigning team issues to that sprint so that the sprint appears on your Jira backlog.
Once the sprint is on your backlog, you will be able to select it from the ‘Change your sprint’ modal on the Team Planning Board if it is not already being used by another team in the Program.
Shared sprints
Shared sprints are managed from the create/update increment dialog.
When creating an increment with shared sprints, you’ll be required to select the Jira board where your shared sprints live/should be created on.
If no sprints exist on the board selected, Easy Agile Programs will create them for you. If you have a specific naming convention you want to use for your sprints, we recommend you create your sprints on the Jira backlog before creating an Increment.
Please note: We recommend that you don’t use the same ‘shared sprints’ across different Programs as our custom fields will not work as intended. When an issue is put in a sprint that’s associated with a Program we set the custom fields “Program” and “Program Increment” on the issue for visibility and reporting. When the same sprints are used across multiple Programs, the custom fields will be added for one Program/Program Increment only.
Changing the sprints you selected - What if I synced the wrong sprints?
Team managed sprints
From version 4.2.0, you can change the sprints mapped to your increment from the Team Planning Board.
Simply click on the sprint name to open up the ‘Change your Sprint’ modal. You’ll be able to select another sprint as long as its not already used by the same Program. You can also select closed sprints.
To make theses changes you must have ‘Manage Sprints’ permission in your Jira instance.
Shared sprints
If you want to change the sprints selected, go to the Program Roadmap, click the menu on the Increment and select “Edit Increment”.
Can I select a closed sprint?
In Cloud and Data Center v6.2.0+, you can sync closed sprints to your increment. Closed sprints can be selected anywhere you would select an active sprint as per the above instructions.
Custom sprint lengths
From v6.0.0, we have introduced custom sprint lengths custom sprint lengths to provide greater flexibility when planning - whether it’s for holiday periods, inspect and adapt events, or release periods.
With this release, teams will still be on the same cadence but will be able to plan their work more accurately in alignment with calendar timings and different sprint lengths.
Do sprint dates sync between Easy Agile Programs and Jira?
At this time, we do not sync sprint dates between Easy Agile Programs and Jira.
The dates used for sprints in Easy Agile Programs are calculated using the increment start date, sprint count and sprint length.
This means it is possible to have conflicting dates between Easy Agile Programs and Jira.
Why are sprints shown for my kanban team?
For kanban teams, we show sprint columns to help teams plan out their work across the planning period. This can be a helpful exercise as makes conversations around risks, dependencies and scope easier as there’s a clear visual of the plan.
Read more about how we support kanban teams here.
Does every team in the Program have to follow the same sprint cadence?
Following the guidance from Scaled Agile, our product has been designed for all teams in your Agile Release Train to have the same length sprints.
Why does Easy Agile Programs automatically create sprints?
When there are no active or future sprints, Easy Agile Programs will automatically create them for you.
For example, if your Program Increment is configured as X5 2 week Sprints, and Team A has no active or future existing Sprints on their board, Easy Agile Programs will create X5 new Sprints on Team A’s backlog.