When might a Sprint be terminated before its planned end?

A Sprint may be terminated before its planned end if the Sprint Goal becomes obsolete. This is a critical aspect because the Sprint Goal is intended to provide a clear and shared objective for the Development Team to achieve within the Sprint timeframe. If circumstances change—such as receiving new market data, a shift in company strategy, or changes in customer needs—the original goal may no longer align with the current priorities or value.

When a Sprint Goal is rendered obsolete, continuing the Sprint may not yield valuable results or be the best use of time and resources for the team. Therefore, in the interest of maximizing value delivered, the team and the Product Owner can collaboratively decide to terminate the Sprint, allowing them to realign their efforts toward more relevant objectives. This demonstrates agility in responding to changing conditions and reinforces the importance of valuing customer needs and feedback in the Scrum framework.