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:
- Go to your Workspace
- Click on a team in the sidebar
- Open the Tasks tab
- 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
- Hire a pre-built team. Pre-built teams come with sprint planning built in
- Chat with the leader. On first hire, the leader asks what you need this week
- Confirm goals. The leader proposes goals, you approve or adjust
- Let it run. The leader assigns tasks, members execute, and the sprint completes on schedule
- 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.