Why all the Sprint Planning episodes, Scotty?

It ALL starts with input.

You've heard "dirty data in, dirty data out". We have all said or heard this.

The Sprint Planning event is like setting the GPS for a road trip where everyone argues about the best route, but at least we all agree on one thing: snacks are essential! It establishes a clear direction for the team to achieve results, showcase our progress, and validate all those wildly optimistic assumptions we made while sipping coffee and dreaming big. Who knew planning could feel so much like a group therapy session where we discuss our hopes, fears, and the inevitable 'what ifs'—like what if the Wi-Fi goes down?

In my opinion, Sprint Planning is probably the most important event or feedback loop. Not just for the Product Owner, but for the whole agile team.

It is a special time for:

1. The Product Owner to vision-cast with focus

2. The team to connect with others who can help reach the product goal(s)

3. The customers and stakeholders to understand what it takes to lean toward progress

4. The full team to set and manage expectations around how we will spend money over the next week or so to improve our product or services

5. Helping the team understand the input needed to maximize the value of the work performed

The thing that lots of folks miss is that we are not just working on constructing outputs. We are in the business of delivering outcomes. There's a difference. Here's a model for you to consider that should help you understand what I mean

Input -> Process -> Output -> Outcome -> Impact

There's lots of power of teams working together with a focused, intentional goal. Honoring this time to be intentional is one way to effectively improve your practice.

The most recent episodes dives in to lots of topics and tips around this event and it doesn't matter if you are a scrum team or not. If you any team is marching toward a goal, they have a greater chance of reaching it by taking time to describe the value of it, define it and plan the execution.