Sprint – Lean Agile Guru

Feb

29

2020

8-Week Long Sprint

Iteration, Sprint

Get this: I’ve just heard today that some teams have sprints (team-level iterations) of 8 weeks long!? Not sure why... but it looks like it is working for them. My immediate thought: what happened to the fast feedback? 8 weeks for a single cycle or iteration of ‘Plan-Do-Check-Adjust (PDCA cycle)’ to me is a long time! What better things that could happen if it were iterations of two weeks long? How about this: faster feedback could happen... with it yields faster learnings! With the learning, we could use it to assess whether we pivot or persevere. Thoughts?

Sprint Replaced By Iteration

Iteration, Sprint

Have you ever wondered why SAFe replaced the word 'Sprint' with 'Iteration'? Sprint Review is now Iteration Review Sprint planning is now Iteration planning Sprint Retrospective is now Iteration Retrospective Why? SAFe is Scaled Agile... from team level scaling up to program level to large solution level to portfolio level. In SAFe, the iteration 'plan-do-check-adjust' (PDCA) is applied not only at team level (where teams iterate -- called 'sprint' in scrum)... but also at SAFe's program level, large solution level and portfolio level. In this light, SAFe needed a more appropriate word... that can be used at scale ... when…

On-track or Off-track?

Check, inspect and adapt, Iteration, On-Track or Off-Track, Sprint

The Sprint/Iteration is at its end. What's the next (best) thing to do? Does it make sense to check to see if your team is on-track or off-track...and re-calibrate if need be? To be continued... October 15, 2022: My new book, "SAFe Is Like ...", is now available on Amazon. What our students think about the Lean Agile Guru ("Author of SAFe is Like ...") -- click here You will get a FREE SIGNED COPY if/when you register, pay, and complete a class by the Lean Agile Guru.