Myth: Having A Sprint Goal Is Optional In Scrum (Scrum.org)
Sprint Goals are one of the more elusive parts of the Scrum Framework. Most teams know they are important, but few use them - for a variety of reasons. In this post, Barry Overeem and I bust the myth that Sprint Goals are optional in Scrum. And we make an effort to show what makes them so vital in the face of complex work. And more importantly, what you can do to start working with Sprint Goals from now on.

I really like this article because I am in a Scrum team where everyone works in his/her niche area. So far we haven’t used Sprint goals. I agree with the observation in the “What happens without Sprint Goals” – section, especially:

Without Sprint Goals, each Sprint implicitly has the same purpose: complete all the work. This makes all Sprints the same, and can make people (rightfully) complain that they are artificial;

So if you’re in a Scrum team that doesn’t use sprint goals, this is definitely a must read.