# Run Sprints and Work Cycles

Sprints organize your team's work into repeating cycles of planning, execution, and review so they deliver results without you micromanaging every task.

## TL;DR

A sprint is a time-boxed work cycle (default: 1 week) where the team leader plans goals, assigns tasks to members, coordinates execution, and delivers a review at the end. Sprints repeat automatically. You set the direction, the leader handles everything else. Every 12 sprints, a quarterly review runs. Every 48 sprints, a yearly review runs.

## How It Works

Sprints follow a four-phase lifecycle that repeats automatically.

| Phase | What happens | Who drives it |
|-------|-------------|---------------|
| **Planning** | Leader reviews goals and previous results, proposes this sprint's goals, breaks them into tasks, assigns to members | Team leader |
| **Active** | Members execute their assigned tasks. Leader checks progress on a schedule and delegates work | Team leader + members |
| **Review** | Leader collects output, compares results against the sprint goals, writes a review report | Team leader |
| **Completed** | Review sent to you. If recurring, next sprint enters planning automatically | System |

**The leader runs the show.** During planning, the leader interviews you about what you need (first sprint) or auto-plans based on previous results (subsequent sprints). They break goals into tasks and assign at least one recurring task to every member.

**Execution is schedule-driven.** The leader runs on a heartbeat schedule (default: every hour). Each heartbeat, the leader checks the task board, handles failures first, delegates one task per employee with pending work, and journals the cycle.

**Members activate on demand.** In pre-built teams, only the leader has a schedule. Members wake up when the leader delegates work, execute their task, and go idle.

**Incomplete tasks roll over.** When a sprint ends, tasks that are not finished (backlog, todo, in progress, waiting) automatically move to the next sprint. Completed and cancelled tasks stay with the old sprint for history.

## Sprint Ceremonies

Beyond weekly sprints, the system triggers deeper reviews at regular intervals.

| Ceremony | When | What happens |
|----------|------|-------------|
| **Sprint Review** | End of every sprint | Goal comparison, deliverable summary, what worked, what to adjust |
| **Quarter Review** | Every 12 sprints | Quarter-over-quarter review, strategy assessment, team capability check |
| **Yearly Review** | Every 48 sprints | Annual performance review, year-over-year comparison, long-term strategy |

Ceremonies are not separate entities. They are enhanced reviews that trigger automatically at the right interval.

## Where to Find It

Sprints appear in the **Tasks** tab when viewing a team:

1. Go to your **Workspace**
2. Click on a team in the sidebar
3. Open the **Tasks** tab
4. The current sprint appears as a banner above the kanban board

The sprint banner shows the sprint number, status, goals, duration, and a countdown timer.

## What You Can Do

| Action | How |
|--------|-----|
| **Start your first sprint** | Hire a team. The leader enters planning and asks you what you need |
| **Set sprint goals** | Chat with the team leader during planning. They break your goals into tasks |
| **Create a sprint manually** | Click the create sprint button on the sprint banner |
| **Edit sprint goals** | Open the sprint drawer and modify the goals |
| **Let the team auto-plan** | Set sprints to recurring. The leader plans based on previous results without asking you |
| **View sprint tasks** | Open the team Tasks tab. Tasks are grouped by sprint |
| **Intervene mid-sprint** | Message the leader anytime to adjust goals or priorities |
| **Review sprint results** | The leader sends you a review report at the end of each sprint |
| **View sprint history** | Click the history button to see all past sprints with their goals, tasks, and reviews |
| **Skip planning input** | If you do not respond during planning, the leader proceeds autonomously |
| **Pause or resume** | Use the sprint controls to pause an active sprint or resume a paused one |
| **Delete a sprint** | Use the delete option (available for sprints in planning state) |

## How to Set It Up

1. **Hire a pre-built team.** Pre-built teams come with sprint planning built in
2. **Chat with the leader.** On first hire, the leader asks what you need this week
3. **Confirm goals.** The leader proposes goals, you approve or adjust
4. **Let it run.** The leader assigns tasks, members execute, and the sprint completes on schedule
5. **Review results.** Read the sprint review report and provide feedback for next sprint

## Tips and Tricks

- **Be specific in your first sprint.** The leader has no history to work from. Tell them exactly what you want delivered
- **Use recurring sprints.** Once the first sprint goes well, set it to recurring. The team learns from each cycle and improves automatically
- **Check the task board.** The team Tasks tab shows all sprint tasks. You can see what is in progress, what is done, and what is blocked
- **Let the leader handle failures.** If a member gets stuck, the leader reassigns or adjusts during their next heartbeat. You do not need to intervene
- **Provide feedback at review.** Your input after each sprint directly shapes the next one. Even a short "focus more on X" helps

## Good to Know

- **Sprints are team-level only.** Individual employees do not have sprints. Sprints coordinate work across a team through the leader
- **Planning pauses execution.** While the team is in planning, members wait for the leader to assign new tasks. This prevents employees from working on stale tasks from the previous sprint
- **First sprint establishes baseline.** Since there is no prior data, the first sprint review establishes baselines rather than comparing against previous results
- **Leader never stops.** Even between sprints or with an empty board, the leader keeps running on schedule. Employees or you can add tasks at any time
- **Auto-transition is system-enforced.** When the sprint timer expires, the system moves the sprint from active to review. The leader does not need to remember
- **Sprint history is permanent.** Completed sprints, their goals, tasks, and review summaries are all preserved. Nothing is deleted

## Frequently Asked Questions

**Q: Do I have to plan every sprint myself?**
A: No. Set sprints to recurring and the leader auto-plans based on the previous sprint's results. You only need to give direction for the first sprint.

**Q: Can I change goals mid-sprint?**
A: Yes. Message the team leader anytime to adjust priorities. The leader can reassign tasks and shift focus.

**Q: How long is a sprint?**
A: Default is 7 days (1 week). The duration is configurable per team.

**Q: What if I do not respond during planning?**
A: The leader proceeds autonomously, using previous sprint patterns and results to plan the next cycle.

**Q: Can individual employees have sprints?**
A: No. Sprints are team-level only. For individual work, use tasks and schedules directly.