The Product Goal and Sprint Goal are two tools that allow the project team to establish the necessary foundations to safely face the complexity of the project and, especially, the changes that may occur.
Defining the product goal is a live task in the project. Before starting the project it must be clear what the goal of the product to be built is; but we must be aware that this goal can change as the project progresses, either due to changes in the initial conditions or in the business itself that the product is trying to help.
As for the sprint goal,1 it has a smaller scope than the product goal. The sprint goal tries to determine in a way that is understandable to the team what is the value that is intended to be achieved in the current sprint.
Building a part of the product does not simply consist of building enough user stories, but this construction must obey a specific goal. And this goal must clearly provide a value delivery (MVP). This value is the motivation that Stakeholders need to face the evaluation and subsequent use of this delivery.
The definition of the product goal applies to initial moments of the project (before starting the 1st sprint), and can later be reviewed in each sprint planning (Sprint Planning).
The definition of the sprint goal is a task of the technical team, with the collaboration of the Product Owner, and is carried out in the Sprint Planning of each sprint.
Both the definition of the product goal and the sprint goal are both a text or document agreed upon by all parties, in which this goal is specified. Regarding the product goal; it must be a short text that clearly specifies what the product is pursuing. That it can be inferred from its reading what the “borders” of the product are (scope). And that it has the necessary agreement or consensus from the Stakeholders. The definition of the product goal is the prerogative of the Product Owner. This definition must be accessible from the Product Backlog of the product/project.
Regarding the sprint goal, as we said before, it has a level of specificity and a scope that only affects the definition of the value that we are able to deliver in a specific sprint. The definition of the sprint goal is the responsibility of the Product Owner who, together with the team, tries to find a portion of useful value as an increase in the product for the sprint.
Again, this exercise is a very brief text that explains in an understandable way what we intend to achieve as a value in the product increase resulting from the sprint. This text must be accessible from the Sprint Backlog of the sprint.
Since the definition of the product objective is a task that is usually carried out before the start of the project, it does not have a specific timing, although it must be clear that the project cannot start without having a 1st definition of the product objective.
The definition of the Sprint objective, on the other hand, does contemplate a very specific timing; since this task is part of the liturgy that should be followed in a Sprint Planning. One of the first tasks that should be carried out in a Sprint Planning corresponds to the negotiation of the sprint objective, between the technical team and the Product Owner. This task must be agile (not to say fast). The negotiation of the sprint objective should last a few minutes within the scope of the Sprint Planning.
Defining the product goal is usually a complex task, involving the collaboration of many people and sensitivities in the organization. The Product Owner seeks agreement with the Stakeholders in the drafting of this goal, since without this agreement, it would be very difficult to govern the expectations of all parties affected by the product.
Defining the Sprint goal cannot be an extensive debate, since the ultimate purpose of Sprint Planning is for the team to have the necessary time to discuss the technical solution, and build the work organization that it believes is necessary. For the negotiation of the sprint goal to be agile, the Product Owner must be aware of the real possibilities of the goals he is pursuing. There is no point in proposing a goal that we cannot support with user stories ready for their construction (DoR). Therefore, the definition of the objective for that sprint must be achievable for the team, realistic with respect to the situation of the product backlog, and consistent with the prioritizations that the Product Owner himself carries out on the Product Backlog.
Scrum Guide 2020 Update - Introducing the Product Goal Scrum.org (https://www.scrum.org/resources/blog/scrum-guide-2020-update-introducing-product-goal)
What is a sprint goal in Scrum? visualparadigm (https://www.visual-paradigm.com/scrum/write-sprint-goal/#:~:text=Sprint%20goal%20is%20a%20high,to%20achieve%20during%20the%20sprint)
Sprint Goal en Scrum Scrum.org (https://www.scrum.org/resources/blog/sprint-goal-en-scrum)
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