The Sprint is the central timebox in Scrum: a fixed period of one to four weeks during which the team produces a potentially shippable product increment. The rhythm creates predictability for the team and for stakeholders. During a running Sprint, no scope changes may be made, allowing the team to work with focus.
A typical two-week Sprint begins on Monday with Sprint Planning, where the team defines the Sprint Goal and pulls items from the Product Backlog into the Sprint Backlog. The team synchronizes daily in the Daily Scrum. On the last day, the Sprint Review with stakeholders and the Retrospective take place. Then the next Sprint starts immediately. There are no gaps between Sprints. This cadence enforces regular delivery and prevents unfinished work from accumulating over months.
The term Sprint originates from rugby and was adopted by Scrum creators Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland. Most teams work with two-week Sprints, but the optimal length depends on product complexity and team maturity.