Managing Priorities in Sprints

Active learning works for managing priorities in sprints because it puts students in the driver’s seat of messy, real-world decisions. Teams must balance technical curiosity with business needs, and practicing these trade-offs in simulations builds the judgment they’ll need on collaborative projects.

• 9th Grade
• Computer Science
• 4 activities
• 20 min–35 min

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze a given sprint scenario to identify at least two conflicting priorities.
2. Design a prioritization matrix for a set of user stories based on defined criteria.
3. Evaluate the effectiveness of different conflict resolution strategies in a simulated sprint planning meeting.
4. Explain the role of a product owner in managing sprint priorities.
5. Critique a team's sprint backlog for clarity and feasibility.

Simulation Game

⏱ 35 min·Small Groups

Simulation Game: Sprint Planning Meeting

Groups of four receive a backlog of eight user stories with effort estimates and a two-week sprint time budget. Teams must select which stories to commit to, assign them, and justify their choices. A representative from each team explains their prioritization logic to the class.

Prepare & details

Explain how teams manage conflicting priorities during a development sprint.

Facilitation Tip: During the Sprint Planning Meeting simulation, assign one student as the product owner to hold the team accountable to user value rather than technical appeal.

Setup: Flexible space for group stations

Materials: Role cards with goals/resources, Game currency or tokens, Round tracker

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Social Awareness
• Decision-Making

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 20 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Conflicting Priorities

Present a scenario where a team member insists on refactoring old code while others want to add a new feature before a deadline. Partners discuss how they would handle the conflict and what criteria they would use to decide. Pairs share their approaches and class identifies common principles.

Prepare & details

Design a strategy for prioritizing tasks in a team project.

Facilitation Tip: For the Think-Pair-Share on conflicting priorities, give each pair a different stakeholder persona so they practice advocating for different points of view.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Decision Matrix

⏱ 30 min·Small Groups

Task Triage Activity

Give groups a list of 12 potential tasks for a class project. Groups must categorize each as 'must do this sprint,' 'should do if time,' or 'defer to next sprint,' using a prioritization framework (e.g., urgency vs. impact matrix). Groups then compare their matrices and discuss why they classified items differently.

Prepare & details

Critique different approaches to conflict resolution within a development team.

Facilitation Tip: Use the Task Triage Activity to require students to write one-sentence rationales for each prioritization decision, making their thinking visible.

Setup: Groups at tables with matrix worksheets

Materials: Decision matrix template, Option description cards, Criteria weighting guide, Presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Decision Matrix

⏱ 25 min·Individual

Case Study Critique: Team Conflict Scenarios

Students read short vignettes describing different team conflict situations (e.g., a developer who keeps changing scope mid-sprint, a team that never finishes anything because they keep reprioritizing). Individually students write a one-paragraph critique of the approach taken and a recommended alternative.

Prepare & details

Explain how teams manage conflicting priorities during a development sprint.

Facilitation Tip: In the Case Study Critique, ask students to circle every time a conflict could have been prevented by clearer criteria or earlier communication.

Setup: Groups at tables with matrix worksheets

Materials: Decision matrix template, Option description cards, Criteria weighting guide, Presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Decision-Making
• Self-Management

Teaching This Topic

Teachers should model how to push back on prioritizing technically interesting work by asking, 'What problem does this solve for the user?' consistently. Avoid letting students default to 'most important' without justification. Research suggests that students benefit from seeing multiple examples of prioritization frameworks so they can compare strengths and weaknesses before committing to one.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students justifying priorities using transparent criteria rather than personal preference, negotiating trade-offs explicitly, and adjusting plans when new information arises. They should articulate why a task moves up or down the backlog and how that decision serves the sprint goal.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Simulation: Sprint Planning Meeting, watch for students defaulting to the most technically interesting task as the top story.

What to Teach Instead

Use the product owner role to ask, 'Who is the user for this task, and what value does it deliver?' Redirect any conversation that drifts toward personal preference.

Common Misconception

During the Think-Pair-Share: Conflicting Priorities, watch for students assuming that conflict means the team is failing.

What to Teach Instead

Highlight moments when team members articulate different priorities and prompt them to practice phrases like 'Let’s check the sprint goal' or 'What data do we have to decide?' to normalize constructive disagreement.

Common Misconception

During the Task Triage Activity, watch for students treating sprint commitments as rigid once set.

What to Teach Instead

Introduce a 'new information' card during triage and require students to explain why a reprioritization is justified, distinguishing between scope creep and legitimate change.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

After the Simulation: Sprint Planning Meeting, provide a scenario where a new urgent bug appears mid-sprint. Ask students to list two tasks they would deprioritize to make room for the bug and one criterion they used to make the trade-off.

Discussion Prompt

During the Think-Pair-Share: Conflicting Priorities, ask students to compare the urgency-only method with the urgency-and-effort method. Have them discuss which method aligns better with the sprint goal and why one might lead to unfinished work.

Quick Check

After the Task Triage Activity, give students a list of five user stories with a clear business goal. Ask them to rank the stories and write a one-sentence justification for their top choice based on the given goal.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Ask early finishers to role-play a stakeholder who arrives late in the sprint and demands a reprioritization. Students must negotiate scope changes using the sprint goal as a boundary.
• Scaffolding: Provide a template with sentence starters like 'This task matters because...' and 'We should do this before X because...' to guide justifications.
• Deeper exploration: Invite a local software team to share a real sprint retrospective, then have students compare their activity insights to the team’s actual challenges and solutions.

Key Vocabulary

Sprint Backlog	A list of tasks identified by the team as needed to complete the work during a sprint. It is a forecast of the work to be done.
User Story	A short, simple description of a feature told from the perspective of the person who desires the new capability, usually a user or customer.
Prioritization Criteria	Specific factors used to rank tasks or user stories, such as business value, urgency, or effort required.
Scrum Master	A facilitator for the Scrum team who helps everyone understand Scrum theory, practices, rules, and values. They are responsible for removing impediments to the team's progress.
Product Owner	The person responsible for maximizing the value of the product resulting from the work of the Development Team. They manage the product backlog.