Iterate

Iterations, commonly known as Sprints, are fundamental, time-boxed periods of work in agile methodologies, typically lasting two weeks. We differentiate between larger backlog items that deliver customer value—called Epics in Jira or Features in Azure Boards and the SAFe framework—and the smaller work items completed within a sprint, known as User Stories. While Epics and Features represent significant value that may span multiple sprints, User Stories are small enough to be completed within a single sprint.

Sprint planning is the process of creating a Sprint Backlog by selecting a number of high-priority User Stories from the main product backlog. This selection is based on the team's capacity and past performance, or velocity. The video emphasizes a crucial agile mindset: the guiding question is "How much can we complete in this fixed time box?" rather than the traditional project management question of "When will this specific thing be done?". The goal is to fully complete the selected items within the iteration, not to just make progress on them.

We demonstrate how this process is managed in both Jira and Azure Boards. In both tools, items are dragged and dropped from the backlog into the sprint. A key difference noted is that in Jira, sprints are manually started and stopped, while in Azure Boards, iterations are often set up on a pre-defined, automated cadence. The concept of iterations can also be scaled up for longer-term planning, such as quarterly Program Increments, to plan the delivery of larger features.