As an agile practitioner for over a decade, I’ve witnessed my fair share of sprints-gone-wrong derailed by technical issues. When teams struggle to cross the finish line or limp along in perpetual bug fix mode, it sucks the energy and optimism right out of the methodology.
The good news is that many of these sprint-snagging issues can be anticipated and mitigated with some fundamental best practices. In this comprehensive guide, I’ll cover the four technical tripwires that most commonly sabotage teams along with fix-it tips to help you stay on track.
Technical Tripwire #1 – Unclear and Shifting Requirements
If agile teams had a nickel for every time unclear requirements delayed or derailed a sprint, they’d have a hefty war chest to treat themselves to some nice R&R. The Standish Group found that nearly 50% of software defects originate from poor requirements gathering. When core stories keep mutating, teams spin their wheels building the wrong functionality.
Without a firm foundation, other requirement gremlins also creep in such as volatile shifting priorities that interrupt sprint momentum. The resultant chaos leaves everyone frustrated and little gets completed.
I’ve witnessed firsthand the havoc wreaked by vague stories combined with moving targets:
Situation #1
The team built an entire customer portal in the sprint but missed the goalpost because the product owner kept tweaking preferences on styling and flow mid-stream without updating the master document.
Situation #2
During an API sprint, the endpoint payload structure changed nearly daily based on backend deviations which led to massive unnecessary rework.
These examples emphasize why clearly delineated requirements, intimate collaboration between PO and team, and controlled change processes are so vital.
Here are some proven ways to keep requirements orderly:
Firm up all details during sprint planning
Leverage this time to answer all questions, ensure alignment between PO and team on scope and outcomes.
Establish a change control board (CCB)
Any shifts in scope or priorities go through this governing body to evaluate impact and adjust sprint accordingly.
Document changes religiously
All changes must involve official updated paperwork, shared with the broader team and stakeholders. No ad hoc swerving.
With upfront clarity, open communication, and controlled flexibility, teams can adapt while still remaining aligned on the ultimate sprint destination.
Technical Tripwire #2 – Underestimating Complexity
Even seasoned teams often underestimate effort, misjudging technical complexity, availability of reference assets, integration needs, and a whole host of other variables. Teams can’t plan accurately for the unknown unknowns, leading to nasty surprises mid-sprint.
Per a recent Atlassian survey, 80% of respondents admitted to underestimating the timescale for a project while 84% conceded exceeding project budgets occasionally or often. That resonates with the teams I’ve worked with over the years.
Digging deeper into the reasons why this estimation fallacy persists:
The Planning Fallacy
Research by Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman showed humans tend to be extremely over-optimistic planners by nature. So underestimation gets baked into our processes.
Rushing Estimation Stage
Under duress of compressed timelines, teams allocate minimal energy to researching complexity before committing to delivery dates.
No Visibility into Level of Effort (LoE) Fluctuations
Without historical data on areas thatconsumed excess effort, teams continue flying blind on where padding is most prudent.
While we can’t eliminate poor estimating or unexpected hiccups, we can take steps to minimize blindness:
Allot More Time for Research
Build breathing room into planning to thoroughly investigate all components, unknowns that need prototypes.
Benchmark Comparable Sprints
Keep stats on previous estimating accuracy, where delays occurred, to inform projections and padding.
Account for LoE Variability
Add padding for complexity risk directly into estimates using wider bands, Monte Carlo or 3-point techniques.
Getting severely burned by poor predictions, while extremely unpleasant, provides important lessons to carry forward. By building patterns of learning into the estimation process, sprints become less vulnerable to surprises.
Technical Tripwire #3 – Technical Debt Accumulation
Technical debt represents deficiencies like short term quick fixes or partial implementations that accumulate over time eventually hindering velocity.
Per Gartner research, global technical debt carried by companies averages a whopping $500 billion, exemplifying the crippling magnitude ineffective teams must overcome. This deferred maintenance manifests in many ways:
Increasing Production Incidents
Shoddy past fixes fail more frequently, interrupting sprint progress for emergency defect resolution.
Cascading Code Complexity
Layers of patches complicate coding tasks, taking 2-3X longer than writing clean code.
Some teams unwittingly slide down the slippery slope of debt by taking risky shortcuts:
Punting on Fixing Flaky Tests
Teams ignore problems “flaky” test suites that randomly fail 10-20% of the time
Bolting on Functionality
In a rush, developers tack on capabilities without elegant integration or refactors.
Paying down debt isn’t glamorous work but utterly vital to prevent systemic drag.
Here are proven ways to counter debt:
Establish Threshold Rules
Define debt limits, for example freezing feature work if >15% of test runs fail due to flakiness.
Schedule Targeted Amnesty Sprints
Take an iteration focused purely on paying down debt through fixes, refactors, cleanup.
Automate Analysis
Scan for trouble indicators like intense nested code, redundant modules or stringent dependencies.
Much like financial debt, continuously deferring maintenance eventually causes catastrophic failure. But some discipline goes a long way to prevent catastrophe and retain healthy velocity.
Technical Tripwire #4 – Environmental Deficiencies
Even when all stars align on priorities, estimates and workflows, environmental issues can still rise up to bite at the worst moments.
Test Environments Out of Sync: Over 70% of defects result from gaps between test environments and production. If developers build and test on outdated platforms, nasty surprises emerge in upper environments.
Performance Mismatches: Hiccups happen when infrastructure lacks horsepower, storage or memory for simulated test loads. Then teams scramble while environments scale up.
Deadline-Driven Cut Corners: In a hurry, administrators take shortcuts like granting excessive user permissions or disabling security filters that return to haunt later.
These examples emphasize why consistency, capacity planning and discipline in environments makes or breaks sprints.
Some tips for smooth environs:
Automate Provisioning
Streamlined tools like Kubernetes and Terraform reduce config drift through codified infrastructure builds.
Monitor Resource Usage
Catch capacity shortfalls early via dashboards tracking usage trends, then scale appropriately.
Institute Checklists
Ensure rigorous vetting before transitions between environments to catch gaps.
By proactively shaping the environments that frames all surrounding sprint activity, teams gain huge leverage on quality and efficiency.
Pulling it All Together
In review, unclear requirements, underestimated complexity, accumulating technical debt, and environmental issues represent four common technical impediments that can torpedo sprint success.
The great news is that by establishing sound processes and discipline in these areas, teams can confidently avoid the havoc. Sprints become smoother, more predictable engines for quality software delivery.
To recap, here are simple starters to master the four tripwires:
Requirements:
Lock specs via sprint planning, establish change control procedures
Estimation:
Research thoroughly, track actuals against estimates, pad complex tasks
Technical Debt:
Institute thresholds, schedule amnesty sprints
Environments:
Automate provisioning, resource monitoring, transition checklists
So sprint forth by proactively addressing these areas! Let me know if this guide helps you spot potential rough waters so you can take preventative measures to stay the course. Here’s to smooth technical sailing ahead!
