Create Sprint

The Create Sprint modal provides a streamlined interface for setting up new sprint iterations. Define your sprint timeline, goals, and initial status in seconds, then start assigning work to the new sprint.

The Problem This Solves

Starting a new sprint should take moments, not meetings. You need to capture the essential sprint parameters: what period it covers, what you aim to achieve, and what status it begins in. Everything else can be refined as planning progresses.

The Create Sprint modal focuses on these essentials while remaining flexible enough for teams with different planning styles.

What You Are Looking At

The Create Sprint modal appears as a centered dialog with a clean, focused interface. The header shows a project selector, followed by input fields for sprint title and goals. Below that, inline options provide status and date selectors displayed compactly in a single row.

You can open the Create Sprint modal from multiple locations:

From the Sprint List:

Click the "New Sprint" or "+" button in the sprint list view

From the Global Quick Create:

Use the global quick create menu and select Sprint
Use keyboard shortcuts if configured

Context-aware creation: When you open the modal from within a specific project, the project selection automatically populates. This saves time when creating multiple sprints in the same project.

Project Selection

Before creating a sprint, select which project it belongs to. The project selector appears in the modal header.

If you have access to multiple workspaces: First select a workspace using the dropdown. After selecting a workspace, the project list updates to show projects in that workspace.

If you opened the modal from a project context: The project pre-fills automatically. You can still change it if needed.

Click a project name in the list to select it. A checkmark indicates the current selection.

Sprint Title

The title field accepts a name for your sprint. Good sprint titles help team members quickly identify iterations:

Effective naming patterns:

Sequential: "Sprint 14", "Sprint 15"
Date-based: "Sprint W23" (week 23), "Sprint Mar-1"
Theme-based: "Sprint: User Authentication", "Sprint: Performance"
Combined: "Sprint 14: API Refactor"

The title appears throughout the interface wherever this sprint is referenced. Keep it concise but distinctive enough to identify at a glance.

Sprint Goals (Description)

The goals field captures what the team aims to achieve during this sprint. Write goals in outcome-oriented language:

Strong goals:

"Users can reset their passwords via email"
"API response times under 200ms for all endpoints"
"Complete onboarding flow testing"

Weak goals:

"Work on tasks"
"Fix bugs"
"Make progress"

Goals provide focus during the sprint. When choosing which tasks to add or whether to accept new work mid-sprint, reference the goals: "Does this help us achieve our stated objectives?"

Leave this field empty if your team prefers to define goals separately or does not use sprint goals.

Sprint Status

The status dropdown shows available sprint statuses configured for your project. Select the starting status for this sprint:

Common initial statuses:

Planning: Sprint is being prepared, work is being identified
Ready: Sprint is planned and ready to begin
Active: Sprint has started and work is in progress

Your project may have different or additional statuses. Select the status that matches where this sprint begins in your workflow.

Sprint Dates

Two date pickers define the sprint timeline:

Start Date: When the sprint begins. Tasks become "active" from this date for tracking purposes.

End Date: When the sprint concludes. This date drives burndown calculations and deadline tracking.

Click each date field to open a calendar picker. Select a date by clicking it in the calendar.

Duration indicator: When both dates are selected, the modal shows the calculated duration in days. This helps verify you have selected the intended timeframe.

Tips for date selection:

Align with your team's schedule (start on Mondays, end on Fridays)
Account for holidays or known absences
Maintain consistent sprint length for velocity comparisons

Creating the Sprint

Click the confirm button to create the sprint. The system validates that you have:

Selected a project
Provided a sprint title
Selected valid dates

If any required information is missing, the create button remains disabled.

Upon successful creation, the modal shows a success confirmation with options to:

Go to Sprint: Navigate directly to the new sprint's board view
Create Another: Stay in the modal with cleared fields to create another sprint

After Creating a Sprint

The new sprint appears in your project's sprint list and becomes available for task assignment. Next steps typically include:

Refine goals if you wrote placeholder text
Assign tasks to the sprint from backlog or by creating new tasks
Review capacity based on team availability during the sprint dates
Communicate the sprint plan to stakeholders

Creating Multiple Sprints

If you plan sprints in advance, use "Create Another" to set up multiple sprints in sequence:

Create Sprint 14 with dates for week 1-2
Click "Create Another"
Create Sprint 15 with dates for week 3-4
Continue as needed

This approach helps teams plan several iterations ahead while maintaining consistent naming and date progression.

The modal supports standard keyboard navigation:

Tab: Move between fields
Enter: In title field, moves to next field. On confirm button, creates the sprint.
Escape: Close the modal without creating

Error Handling

If the creation request fails (network issues, validation problems, or permissions errors), the modal displays an error message. Your entered data remains in the form so you can retry without re-entering information.

Common issues:

Duplicate names: Some projects prevent duplicate sprint titles
Invalid dates: End date must be after start date
Permissions: You may lack permission to create sprints in the selected project

Pro Tips

Sprint templates: Note your preferred naming pattern, typical duration, and standard goals. Apply consistently across sprints.

Buffer time: If your team consistently needs a few days after sprint end for wrap-up, factor that into your date selection.

Goal specificity: The more specific your goals, the easier to evaluate sprint success. "Improve performance" is hard to measure; "Reduce load time to under 2 seconds" is clear.

How to Report a Problem or Request a Feature

Your feedback matters. Here is how to share it:

If the sprint creation process could be improved or you encounter issues, we want to know.

In the Sidebar, click on Support Tickets and open a ticket for the problem. Everything is interactive and fast through the GitScrum Studio platform.