What to do when the Sprint Goal is not achieved
Occasionally, the team will realize they are not able to reach the Sprint Goal by the end of the Sprint or that the Goal hasn't been achieved at the end of Sprint. This usually happens because of two reasons:
- The Developers haven't been able to deliver all the Sprint Backlog items.
- The increment is not in a usable state.
Let's examine both causes, starting with the first one. When one or more Sprint Backlog items have not been finished by the end of the Sprint, this is sometimes due to extraneous circumstances (for example, a Developer has fallen ill). Most often, however, it happens because the Developers did not estimate the items correctly. Unfinished items by the Sprint's end are not uncommon, although this tends to happen more often during the early Sprints, when the team hasn't yet established its internal rhythm and delivery cadence.
Important note
Some teams and organizations refer...
