Why You Should Avoid Sprints: Embrace a Better Workflow with Small, Manageable Tickets
In the software development world, sprints have long been a staple of Agile methodologies. The idea is simple: break down work into short, intense periods (usually two weeks) and aim to complete a predefined set of tasks within that time. However, as many developers and project managers have discovered, sprints can introduce unnecessary challenges, foster short-term thinking, and create an environment focused more on meeting arbitrary deadlines than delivering high-quality software.
In this blog post, we’ll explore why traditional sprint-based development may not be the best approach for every team. We’ll introduce an alternative strategy focused on breaking work into small, manageable tickets that allow for better flow, fewer risks, and improved developer productivity. Let’s dive into the advantages of this approach and how it can benefit your software development process.
The Problem with Sprints: Arbitrary Deadlines and Estimation Overhead
Sprints are designed to create a rhythm for development work. Every two weeks (or whichever time frame is chosen), teams complete a set of tasks and then reset for the next sprint. However, the process of planning and executing these sprints can lead to several unintended consequences.
1. Arbitrary Deadlines Create Stress
One of the biggest issues with sprints is the arbitrary nature of their deadlines. Whether a task takes three days or five, it must fit within the sprint window. This creates unnecessary pressure on developers to deliver work within a rigid timeframe, regardless of the complexity of the task. If a feature requires more time, teams are often forced to rush the work or cut corners to meet the sprint deadline, leading to lower-quality code and more technical debt.
2. Estimation Overhead Distracts from Real Work
Another problem with sprints is the estimation overhead they introduce. Planning a sprint requires estimating how long each task will take, which is notoriously difficult in software development. Even experienced developers struggle to predict how long complex or unfamiliar work will take. Inaccurate estimations can lead to stress, frustration, and unmet deadlines, not to mention wasted time in sprint planning meetings. This focus on estimation pulls developers away from actual coding and problem-solving, reducing the time they have to focus on delivering quality work.
3. Short-Term Thinking
Sprints inherently encourage short-term thinking. The focus becomes less about building sustainable, high-quality systems and more about hitting short-term goals every two weeks. Instead of fostering long-term product quality, teams may prioritize finishing tasks at the expense of taking the time to refactor or optimize code, ultimately compromising the long-term stability and scalability of the product.
A Better Approach: Breaking Work Into Small Tickets
Instead of sprinting towards arbitrary deadlines, a more effective strategy is to break work down into small, manageable tickets. This approach focuses on the continuous flow of work rather than sprinting towards the finish line. Let’s look at how this method works and why it leads to better outcomes for software development teams.
1. Small Tickets Reduce Risk
When tasks are broken down into small tickets, each ticket represents a small piece of functionality or a small step towards a larger feature. This makes it easier to manage risks. If something goes wrong with a small task, the impact is minimal. You can adjust, pivot, or rework the ticket without derailing the entire project or sprint. By contrast, in a sprint, missing a single task can jeopardize the entire sprint outcome, leading to a ripple effect of delays.
2. Increased Flow
Breaking work into small tickets also increases flow. Rather than waiting until the end of a sprint to release completed work, you can continuously deliver small, completed tasks to production or QA. This allows teams to iterate more quickly, get feedback faster, and release features more frequently. A continuous delivery approach leads to more agility and responsiveness to business needs, making it easier to adapt to changing priorities.
3. Parallel Work and Collaboration
Small tickets allow multiple developers to work in parallel more easily. When work is divided into smaller chunks, it’s easier to assign different tickets to different team members, minimizing bottlenecks. Instead of one developer getting blocked because a larger piece of work is incomplete, the team can continue progressing on other tasks without waiting. This increases productivity and accelerates delivery.
4. Improved Code Reviews
Code reviews are a crucial part of any development process, ensuring that code is of high quality and adheres to best practices. Small tickets make code reviews more manageable and approachable. Instead of reviewing massive pull requests at the end of a sprint, developers can review smaller changes as they are completed. This leads to faster review cycles, better quality code, and a more collaborative review process.
Estimating Future Flow Without Sprints
Some teams fixate on the predictability that sprints provide — they like knowing what will be delivered in each two-week cycle. However, you can still estimate future flow without the need for sprints by tracking the number of tickets completed over a set period of time.
Instead of estimating how long each sprint will take, track how many small tickets your team closes each week, month, or other time period. This provides a data-driven approach to predict future flow, without the estimation headaches that come with sprint planning. If your team typically closes 10 tickets per week, you can use that data to forecast how much work you can complete over the next few weeks or months.
Don’t Fixate on Timeframes
When we say "estimate future flow by tracking the number of tickets completed per week," the week is just an example. The real point is to track the number of tickets closed over any time period that makes sense for your team. This could be daily, weekly, or even monthly, depending on your workflow and the size of your tasks. The key is using historical data to predict future velocity, rather than trying to estimate every sprint’s work at the outset.
How to Implement a Ticket-Based Workflow
Now that we’ve discussed the benefits of breaking work into small tickets, let’s talk about how you can implement this approach in your development process.
1. Break Down Work Into Small, Manageable Tasks
The first step is to break down large features or projects into smaller tasks. Each ticket should represent a small, independent unit of work that can be completed within a few days. If a task is too large, break it down further. The goal is to create tickets that are small enough to be completed quickly but meaningful enough to represent a valuable increment of work.
2. Use a Task Management Tool
To track these tickets, you’ll need a task management tool like Jira, Trello, or GitHub Issues. These tools allow you to create, assign, and track tickets as they move through the development pipeline. Use labels, categories, or tags to group related tickets, making it easier to manage larger projects.
3. Prioritize Continuous Delivery
With small tickets, aim for a continuous delivery model. As soon as a ticket is completed, reviewed, and tested, it can be released into production or the next stage of development. This allows you to release new features more frequently and gather feedback from users in real-time.
4. Track and Analyze Velocity
Once you’ve established a ticket-based workflow, start tracking how many tickets your team completes over time. Use this data to estimate future flow and capacity. Over time, this will give you a more accurate picture of your team’s velocity, allowing for better planning and forecasting.
The Benefits of Small Tickets Over Sprints
- Reduced Estimation Overhead: No more lengthy sprint planning meetings and no more stressful estimation sessions. Simply track the flow of completed tickets.
- More Flexibility: Teams can adjust priorities on the fly without being locked into a sprint commitment.
- Continuous Delivery: Instead of waiting two weeks to release a batch of features, you can ship work as it’s completed.
- Better Collaboration: Developers can work in parallel more easily, without getting blocked by dependencies in large tasks.
- Higher Quality Code: With smaller tickets, code reviews become quicker and more manageable, leading to better quality control.
Conclusion: Avoid Sprints for Better Productivity
Sprints have their place in Agile development, but they are not always the most efficient way to manage software projects. By focusing on breaking work down into small, manageable tickets, you can increase flow, reduce risks, and eliminate the estimation overhead that comes with sprints. This approach encourages continuous delivery, better collaboration, and ultimately leads to more predictable and sustainable development practices.
Rather than sprinting to meet arbitrary deadlines, embrace the power of small tickets, and watch as your team’s productivity, code quality, and morale improve.