Sprint planning in CWM

  • Release version: Xanadu
  • Updated July 31, 2025
  • 2 minutes to read
  • Summarize
    Summarized using AI
    This content was generated using new OpenAI-powered functionality. Results are provided on an as is basis and are not guaranteed to be accurate or complete.

    Summary of Sprint planning in CWM

    Sprint planning in Collaborative Work Management (CWM) enables ServiceNow customers to effectively plan, track, and manage Agile team work using a dedicated Sprint Planning view on the CWM Board. This view consolidates all existing work items into a Backlog, allowing teams to create, schedule, and execute sprints seamlessly while tailoring work item types and sprint configurations to their specific project needs.

    Show full answer Show less

    Key Features

    • Sprint Planning View: Enable this view from the Personalize side panel to access backlog and sprint management tools directly on your CWM Board. Save your Board view to maintain this display.
    • Backlog Management: Automatically includes all unplanned work items (new and incomplete) while hiding completed tasks. Users can add, prioritize, rearrange, duplicate (tasks and stories only), delete, and filter work items within the backlog. Drag-and-drop functionality allows easy scheduling of items into sprints.
    • Sprint Creation and Management: Create sprints by defining duration, start/end dates, and story point capacity. Add multiple sprints with consistent or varied settings. Each sprint section is collapsible and displays utilized capacity and remaining story points for workload management.
    • Personalization: Customize columns visible in both the Backlog and Sprint panes via the Personalize side panel. Toggle views to optimize workspace between Backlog, Sprints, or both.
    • Work Item and Sprint Operations: Create new work items directly in the Backlog or within sprints. Plan and move work items across sprints efficiently. Update sprint details such as duration and capacity. Start and complete sprints from the Sprint Planning view.
    • Retrospective Boards: Upon sprint completion, optionally create a retrospective board to facilitate team collaboration and reflection on sprint outcomes.

    Key Outcomes

    • Unified visibility and management of all work items in one Backlog, ensuring nothing is overlooked.
    • Flexible sprint creation and planning tailored to team capacity and project requirements.
    • Enhanced team collaboration and productivity through streamlined sprint execution and retrospective processes.
    • Customizable views and workflows that adapt to your team’s preferences and improve focus on priority work.
    • Efficient Agile delivery supported by integrated sprint start, completion, and retrospective capabilities within ServiceNow CWM.

    Plan, track, and manage work for your teams in the Agile methodology using Sprint planning in Collaborative Work Management.

    Within the Sprint Planning view of your CWM Board, you can manage your team's backlog, create sprints, plan work into sprints, and execute them seamlessly. All existing work items on your CWM Board are automatically added to the Backlog pane in the Sprint Planning view. This means that whether the work items are old or new, they will all be visible in the Backlog. From this pane, you can easily schedule these items into sprints for execution.

    You have the flexibility to create work items of various types, such as Stories, or use any other default and custom work types that are available on your CWM Board. This flexibility ensures that you can tailor your sprint planning to fit the specific needs of your team and projects.

    Enabling Sprint planning view

    From the Views section of the Personalize (Personalize List and Gantt views.) side panel, select Sprint planning to enable the display of Sprint planning view on your CWM Board.
    Note:
    Save your Board view to ensure that the Sprint planning view is always displayed on your Board.

    Enable Sprint planning view.

    Backlog

    The Backlog pane displays all unplanned work items, including both newly added and older incomplete tasks. Completed work items are not shown, keeping your focus on what needs to be done. You can add work items directly to the Backlog from this view and use the personalize side panel to show or hide columns within the Backlog pane, customizing the display to suit your needs.

    Within the Backlog pane, you can do the following:
    • Move work items to the top or bottom of the backlog based on the priority.
    • Move items to the currently ongoing sprint.
    • Move work items within the list by rearranging rows.
    • Delete work items.
    • Apply filters on any column. However, filters can't be applied on custom columns within Backlog.
    • Change the number of items displayed per page.
    • Duplicate work items by using Copy row.
      Note:
      You can duplicate only CWM tasks and Stories but not other connected work records.
    • Drag and drop a single or multiple work items from Backlog to one of the sprints.

    Sprint planning Backlog in CWM.

    Sprints

    The Sprints section in your CWM Board displays the list of active sprints. If you haven’t created any sprints yet, this section will show a form to help you get started. You can create a sprint by selecting the sprint duration, start and end dates, and story points capacity. To create additional sprints with the same settings, use the Add another Sprint option. For sprints with different durations or capacities, select Create Sprint. For more information, see Create a sprint in CWM.

    Each sprint is a collapsible section where you can add work items directly and customize the view using the personalize side panel. Each sprint section also shows the percentage of utilized capacity and the remaining story points, helping you manage your team's workload effectively.

    Sprints section in CWM Sprint planning.

    Personalizing Sprint Planning view

    You can customize the columns displayed in the Backlog and Sprint panes using the Personalize (Personalize List and Gantt views.) side panel, allowing you to see the most relevant information. Any changes you make can be saved to the current Board view or as a new view, depending on your needs.

    If you require more working area for the Backlog or Sprints within the Sprint planning view, you can toggle between the Backlog, Sprints, and Backlog and Sprints options.

    Personalize options for CWM Sprint planning.