Sprint Goal
The single objective for the Sprint that gives the Developers flexibility and focus, created during Sprint Planning.
What it means
The Sprint Goal is the commitment for the Sprint Backlog. It is crafted collaboratively by the whole Scrum Team during Sprint Planning and expresses why the Sprint is valuable to stakeholders.
It provides coherence and focus, encouraging the team to work together rather than on isolated, unrelated initiatives. As the Developers work, they keep the Sprint Goal in mind and may adjust scope with the Product Owner if new information emerges.
Common mistakes
If the work turns out to be very different than expected, the Developers collaborate with the Product Owner to negotiate scope within the Sprint without losing sight of the Sprint Goal itself.
Example
'Enable guest checkout for mobile users' is a Sprint Goal that lets the team choose the exact tasks needed to deliver it.