Iterations. Sprints. Estimates. Capacity. These are all at the heart of how teams plan their day-to-day work, and that’s what we talk about in this book club session.

Reading:
📖 Task Planning
📖 Capacity
📖 Slack
📖 “Done Done”

🎙 Discussion prompts:

• There are two main approaches to task planning on Agile teams: time boxes (Sprints and iterations) and continuous flow (also known as Kanban). What tradeoffs do you see between the two?

• What role do you think estimation should play in task planning?

• How can teams improve their capacity?

• Slack and capacity form a “clever little feedback loop” which uses teams’ weaknesses to make them stronger. What are some ways teams can use their slack to improve their capability?

About the Book Club

From October 2021 to August 2022, I hosted a call-in talk show based on the second edition of The Art of Agile Development. The series used the book as a jumping-off point for wide-ranging discussions about Agile ideas and practices, and had a star-studded guest list.

For an archive of past sessions, visit the book club index. For more about the book, visit the Art of Agile Development home page.