没有Sprint目标，Scrum无法有效

Many people, including well-respected Scrum experts, believe the Sprint Goal is optional in Scrum. They argue that a Scrum Team can select a set of items from the Product Backlog and create a plan to complete them without a Sprint Goal.

许多人，包括受人尊敬的Scrum专家，都认为Sprint目标在Scrum中是可选的。 他们认为，Scrum团队可以从产品待办列表中选择一组项目，并制定计划以在没有Sprint目标的情况下完成这些项目。

I disagree wholeheartedly.

我完全不同意。

Without a Sprint Goal, teams can certainly deliver Product Backlog Items in Scrum. But teams can’t effectively use empiricism. With that, Scrum becomes ineffective.

没有Sprint目标，团队当然可以在Scrum中交付产品待办事项。 但是团队不能有效地运用经验主义。 这样，Scrum变得无效。

This may seem like a bold statement, but please hear me out. I will start my plea with the definition of Scrum:

这似乎是一个大胆的声明，但请听我说。 我将以Scrum的定义开始我的恳求：

“Scrum (n): A framework within which people can address complex adaptive problems, while productively and creatively delivering products of the highest possible value.” — Scrum Guide 2017

“ Scrum(n)：一个框架，人们可以在其中解决复杂的适应性问题，同时以富有创造力的方式交付最高价值的产品。” — Scrum指南2017

How can you address these complex adaptive problems? I argue that you won’t achieve it by pulling some items from the Product Backlog, aiming to complete them during the Sprint. When doing this, your focus is on completing items, not on addressing complex adaptive problems. To do that instead, you need to use a Sprint Goal. It provides a direction and allows for liberty to adjust course and increase chances to meet the goal.

您如何解决这些复杂的适应性问题？ 我认为您无法通过从产品待办列表中提取某些项目来实现Sprint期间的目的，从而无法实现这一目标。 这样做时，您的重点是完成项目，而不是解决复杂的适应性问题。 为此，您需要使用Sprint目标。 它提供了一个方向，并允许自由调整路线并增加实现目标的机会。

Only when a team has the liberty to completely change its approach to meet a Sprint Goal, they can effectively address complex adaptive problems, using empiricism.

只有当团队有完全改变其方法以实现Sprint目标的自由时，他们才能使用经验主义来有效地解决复杂的适应性问题。

(冲刺)目标影响的示例 (Example of the impact of a (Sprint) Goal)

Let’s take a travel example. Suppose that you are on a once in a lifetime holiday in Utah and Arizona. For the next 4 days you create this plan:

让我们以旅行为例。 假设您在犹他州和亚利桑那州度过了一生一次的假期。 在接下来的4天中，您将创建以下计划：

• Walk the Bright Angel Trail in the Grand Canyon;
  在大峡谷中漫步光明天使之路；
• Go to Bryce Canyon;
  前往布莱斯峡谷；
• Journey to Zion;
  锡安之旅；
• Discover Antelope Canyon.
  探索羚羊峡谷。

Then something unexpected happens. Out of the blue, heavy rainfall causes flash floods. Due to this, Antelope Canyon and the Bright Angel Trail hike are off-limits. All of a sudden, you can’t achieve what you planned to do. You will fail to complete 50% of your plan. But will it ruin your 4 days? Will you also fail in your objective for these days? Well, we don’t know, because you didn’t determine your objective.

然后发生了意外情况。 突然，大雨导致山洪泛滥。 因此，羚羊峡谷和光明天使小径远足是禁止进入的。 突然之间，您无法实现计划要做的事情。 您将无法完成计划的50％。 但这会毁了您的4天吗？ 这些天，您也会失败吗？ 好吧，我们不知道，因为您没有确定目标。

Now, suppose you took a different approach, starting with setting an objective. Here are two different examples of objectives for your trip:

现在，假设您从设定目标开始采用了不同的方法。 这是您旅行的两个不同目标示例：

“See more of the Grand Canyon than the South rim viewpoints and visit highlights directly north of the Grand Canyon.”

“比南缘景点更多的是大峡谷，并且可以直接游览大峡谷以北的景点。”

You could also have set the following objective:

您还可以设定以下目标：

“Visit four different canyon sites in the area and have at least two day-hikes with a limited budget.”

“参观该地区的四个不同的峡谷地，并在预算有限的情况下至少进行两次一日游。”

The original plan would have met both objectives. However, depending on the objective you chose, your response to the flooding issues will be completely different.

原始计划将实现两个目标。 但是，根据您选择的目标，您对洪水问题的React将完全不同。

With the first objective in mind, you can have these alternatives for the Grand Canyon walk and Antelope Canyon:

牢记第一个目标，您可以为大峡谷步道和羚羊峡谷提供以下替代方案：

• Discover the Grand Canyon by helicopter — you will surely get a different perspective than standing at a South rim viewpoint;
  乘坐直升机探索大峡谷-与站在南缘的视角相比，您肯定会获得不同的视角；
• Make a boat trip on Lake Powell — this stunning artificial lake will provide you with many great views.
  在鲍威尔湖上乘船游览-这个令人惊叹的人工湖将为您提供许多美景。

With the second objective in the back of your head, a helicopter or boat trip may be too expensive. Also, there’s no hiking. But then these alternatives are at your disposal:

将第二个物镜放在脑后，直升机或乘船旅行可能会过于昂贵。 另外，这里没有远足。 但是，这些替代方法可供您使用：

• Walk the Grand Canyon Rim Trail — you will not have to leave the rim of the canyon, but still, have a full day hike;
  走大峡谷外缘小径-您不必离开峡谷的边缘，但仍然可以进行一整天的远足；
• Visit the Grand Canyon North Rim — providing a different perspective to the Grand Canyon;
  参观大峡谷北缘-提供与大峡谷不同的视角；
• Do a day hike in Zion — this National Park has plenty of walking options.
  在锡安(Zion)进行一日徒步旅行-这个国家公园有很多步行选择。

With a clear objective, you are in a position to change the plan according to new insights to meet that objective. Without it, you can’t adjust. The same is true for your complex product environment. By setting an objective, a Sprint Goal, you allow yourself to adjust course to maximise the chances to achieve your objective. You will be better equipped to respond to unexpected setbacks or new insights.

有了明确的目标，您便可以根据新的见解更改计划以实现该目标。 没有它，就无法调整。 您的复杂产品环境也是如此。 通过设定目标(冲刺目标)，您可以调整自己的路线，以最大程度地实现目标。 您将更有能力应对意外的挫折或新见解。

You may argue that you can always think of other activities to do as a replacement of the two things that dropped from the holiday list. You can still adjust your plan, even without an objective to begin with. I would counter-argue that you can only adjust because you have an implicit objective. You know what you wish to get from a holiday. With that, you know what would be good alternatives when options disappear.

您可能会争辩说，您总能想到可以做的其他活动来代替从假期清单中删除的两件事。 即使没有目标，您仍然可以调整计划。 我反对您只能调整，因为您有一个隐含的目标。 您知道您希望从假期中得到什么。 这样，您便知道当选项消失时，什么是更好的选择。

But there’s more. If you travel with people with different ideas of a holiday or with people that you don’t know very well, it is wise to discuss your goals for the trip upfront. Suppose that you have plans with three to the South West of the USA. One wishes to go hiking, another one loves to see the highlights of as many National Parks as possible and the third wants to have an action-packed trip. Without a proper agreement on your common objective, you are bound to have conflicts, risking to have a miserable holiday. With an agreed common objective you have made a mutual commitment. Your plans will be mirrored to this objective.

但是还有更多。 如果您与对假期有不同想法的人一起旅行，或者与不太熟悉的人一起旅行，明智的是事先讨论旅行的目标。 假设您有3个到美国西南部的计划。 一个人希望去远足，另一个人则希望看到尽可能多的国家公园的亮点，第三个人希望有一个充满动感的旅行。 如果没有就您的共同目标达成适当的协议，您将有冲突，有遭受痛苦假期的风险。 有了共同的目标，您就做出了共同的承诺。 您的计划将反映到该目标。

冲刺目标和冲刺积压 (Sprint Goal and Sprint Backlog)

The Scrum Guide mentions the Sprint Goal 27 times. The Sprint Backlog only appears 17 times. While the Sprint Backlog is a Scrum Artifact and the Sprint Goal isn’t, the Scrum Guide mentions the Sprint Goal far more often.

《 Scrum指南》提到了Sprint目标27次。 Sprint Backlog仅出现17次。 尽管Sprint待办事项是Scrum工件，而Sprint目标不是，但Scrum指南更频繁地提到Sprint目标。

But the types of references are even more striking:

但是引用的类型更加引人注目：

• The Sprint evolves around the objective to meet the Sprint Goal;
  Sprint围绕目标发展，以实现Sprint目标；
• You can only cancel Sprints when the Sprint Goal has become obsolete;
  仅当Sprint目标已过时时才可以取消Sprint。
• Sprint Goals are the centre of attention at the Daily Scrum.
  冲刺目标是每日Scrum的关注重点。

What’s more, the Sprint Backlog exists to reach the Sprint goal:

而且，存在Sprint待办事项以实现Sprint目标：

“The Sprint Backlog makes visible all the work that the Development Team identifies as necessary to meet the Sprint Goal.” — Scrum Guide 2017

“ Sprint待办事项列表显示了开发团队确定为实现Sprint目标所必需的所有工作。” — Scrum指南2017

The Sprint Backlog is a visualisation of what the Development Team thinks it needs to do to achieve the Sprint Goal. At least once a day, at the Daily Scrum, the Development Team inspects the Sprint Backlog and adapts it when needed to meet the Sprint Goal.

Sprint Backlog是开发团队认为实现Sprint目标所需要做的工作的可视化视图。 开发团队每天至少要在Daily Scrum上检查一次Sprint待办事项，并在需要时进行调整以实现Sprint目标。

A Development Team can’t commit to the Sprint Backlog as it would limit them in their options to reach their objective. However, a Development Team can commit to reaching that objective, the Sprint Goal.

开发团队无法提交Sprint待办事项列表，因为这会限制他们选择达成目标的选择。 但是，开发团队可以致力于实现该目标，即Sprint目标。

The Sprint Goal is the North Star of the Sprint.

冲刺目标是冲刺的北极星。

冲刺目标是被遗忘的神器 (Sprint Goal is the forgotten artifact)

Scrum knows three artifacts:

Scrum知道三个工件：

• Product Backlog;
  产品积压;
• Sprint Backlog;
  冲刺积压;
• Increment.
  增量。

It is vital to optimise transparency of the state of the artifacts. The Scrum Team and its stakeholders should be on the same page when they discuss and make decisions involving the Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog and Increment.

优化工件状态的透明度至关重要。 Scrum团队及其利益相关者在讨论和制定涉及产品待办事项列表，Sprint待办事项列表和增量的决策时，应位于同一页面上。

Having said this, it is also vital to be on the same page about the Sprint Goal. When the Sprint Goal means different things for different people in the team, the chances are high that the team will not meet their Sprint Goal. What’s more, if the Sprint Goal is non-existent or inconsistent, the Sprint Backlog is bound to become the North Star of the team. With that, the team follows a plan instead of responding to change. They fail to use empiricism in their complex product environment and fail to use Scrum effectively.

话虽这么说，与Sprint目标保持一致也很重要。 当冲刺目标对团队中的不同人意味着不同的事情时，团队很可能无法实现他们的冲刺目标。 此外，如果Sprint目标不存在或不一致，则Sprint待办事项必然会成为团队的北极星。 这样一来，团队就遵循了计划，而不是响应变化 。 他们无法在复杂的产品环境中使用经验主义，也无法有效地使用Scrum。

This is why I believe that the Sprint Goal should be a Scrum Artifact. It would formally lift the status of the Sprint Goal, giving it the attention that it deserves and needs.

这就是为什么我认为Sprint目标应该是Scrum工件。 它将正式提升Sprint目标的地位，给予它应有和需要的关注。

尾注 (Endnote)

Many teams work without a Sprint Goal. They only use the Sprint Backlog. But the Sprint Backlog exists to increase the chances to meet the Sprint Goal. Without the Sprint Goal, the Sprint Backlog loses a major part of its purpose. As a result, these teams can’t use Scrum effectively.

许多团队在没有冲刺目标的情况下工作。 他们仅使用Sprint Backlog。 但是，存在Sprint待办事项列表，以增加实现Sprint目标的机会。 没有Sprint目标，Sprint待办事项就失去了其主要目标。 结果，这些团队无法有效使用Scrum。

I suggest giving the Sprint Goal the status of a Scrum Artifact. Since the origins of Scrum, it is a key part of the framework. Already in the 1986 paper “The New New Product Development Game”, it was a key element:

我建议为Sprint目标指定Scrum神器的状态。 由于Scrum的起源，它是框架的关键部分。 早在1986年的论文“新产品开发新游戏”中，它就是一个关键要素：

“Top management kicks off the development process by signaling a broad goal or a general strategic direction. It rarely hands out a clear-cut new product concept or specific work plan. But it offers a project team a wide measure of freedom and also establishes extremely challenging goals.” — The New New Product Development Game by Takeuchi and Nonaka

“高层管理人员通过发出广泛的目标或总体战略方向来启动发展过程。 它很少提供明确的新产品概念或特定的工作计划。 但是它为项目团队提供了广泛的自由度，并且建立了极具挑战性的目标。” — Takeuchi和Nonaka的新产品开发新游戏

The Sprint Goal is pivotal to succeed in building products of value in a complex product environment. It provides a direction and allows for liberty to adjust course to optimise chances to meet the goal. It is an enabler of empiricism, the foundation of Scrum.

Sprint目标对于在复杂的产品环境中成功构建有价值的产品至关重要。 它提供了一个方向，允许自由调整路线，以优化实现目标的机会。 它是经验主义的推动者，是Scrum的基础。

Do you want to write for Serious Scrum or seriously discuss Scrum? 您要为《严重的Scrum》撰写文章还是认真讨论Scrum？

翻译自: https://medium.com/serious-scrum/you-cant-be-effective-with-scrum-without-a-sprint-goal-9b298917e20b