Should Team Members Sign Up for Tasks During Sprint Planning?

During sprint planning, a team selects a set of product backlog items they will work on during the coming sprint. As part of doing this, most teams will also identify a list of the tasks to be performed to complete those product backlog items.

Many teams will also provide rough estimates of the effort involved in each task. Collectively, these artifacts are the sprint backlog and could be presented along the following lines:

One issue for teams to address is whether individuals should sign up for tasks during sprint planning.

If a team walks out of sprint planning with a name next to every task, individual accountability will definitely be increased. I will feel more responsibility to finish the tasks with my name or initials next to them. And you will feel the same for those with yours. But, this will come at the expense of team accountability.

My recommendation is that a team should leave sprint planning without having put names on tasks. Following a real-time sign-up strategy will allow more flexibility during the sprint.