What is a sprint in Scrum and Jira?
Quick answer
A sprint is a fixed period, usually two weeks, in which a Scrum team commits to finishing a chosen set of work toward one sprint goal. When it ends, the team reviews the result, looks back on how it worked and plans the next sprint.
Last updated
Take the free module →Module 1 of the free Jira for Beginners: Sprints and Kanban course, about 15 minutes. No account needed.
Updated · By Robert Breen
Why it matters for a small business
Long to-do lists stall because everything is "in progress" and nothing is finished. A sprint forces a choice: what will we finish in the next two weeks, given what we finished last time? Managers see a short, fixed list instead of chasing updates, and the team gets a natural point to stop and adjust.
A sprint has a goal, a start and end date and the work items pulled from the top of the backlog. How much goes in is guided by story points and the team's history (its velocity). Work not finished at the end goes back to the backlog or into the next sprint; the sprint itself is never stretched.
The first sprint in the Jira lesson
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Backlog | 6 work items, 22 story points |
| Pulled into Sprint 1 | Top 4 items, 18 points |
| Duration | 2 weeks (Jira's default) |
| Finished | 16 of 18 points (89%) |
| Rolled forward | 1 open item into Sprint 2 |
In a real lesson: Jira: Plan and Run Your First Sprint
In the free Jira first sprint lesson, you create a team-managed Scrum space called Ops practice on Jira's free plan. A new Scrum space already has an empty Sprint 1 above the backlog, so you move the top four items into it with the row menu and Move work item.
Start sprint keeps the two-week default and asks for a one-line goal. Three cards reach Done, Sprint insights shows 16 of 18 points finished, and Complete sprint moves the open item into Sprint 2. Those 16 points are the team's first velocity number.
Try this lesson free or read the step-by-step guide.
Common confusions
Sprint vs milestone
A milestone is a date something must be ready by. A sprint is a repeating time box the team works in, whatever the deadline.
Sprint vs Kanban
Kanban has no sprints: work flows continuously and a WIP limit caps how much is in progress at once.
Tips
- For a first sprint with no history, plan about 70% of what feels possible.
- Write the goal as an outcome a manager would recognise, not a list of tasks.
Related terms
More Business terms
Where you use it: free lessons
- Jira: Plan and Run Your First Sprint (Jira, 15 min)
- Jira: Kanban Board with WIP Limits and Cycle Time (Jira, 12 min)
Frequently asked questions
- How long is a sprint?
- Usually one to four weeks; two weeks is the most common and is Jira's default. The Scrum Guide caps a sprint at one month.
- What happens to unfinished work at the end of a sprint?
- It goes back to the backlog or into the next sprint. In Jira, Complete sprint asks you where the open work items should go.
- Do non-software teams use sprints?
- Yes. Marketing, operations and HR teams use two-week sprints for planned projects. Teams that mostly handle incoming requests often prefer Kanban.