Long-Lived Feature Branches
Branches that live for weeks or months, turning merging into a project in itself. The longer the branch, the bigger the risk.
11 minute read
Tag: Batch-Size
Integration Deferred
The build has been red for weeks and nobody cares. “CI” means a build server exists, not that anyone actually integrates continuously.
11 minute read
Horizontal Slicing
Work is organized by technical layer (“build the API,” “update the schema”) rather than by independently deliverable behavior. Nothing ships until all the pieces are assembled.
10 minute read
Monolithic Work Items
Work items go from product request to developer without being broken into smaller pieces. Items are as large as the feature they describe.
5 minute read
Unbounded WIP
The team has no constraint on how many items can be in progress at once. Work accumulates because there is nothing to stop starting and force finishing.
5 minute read
Deadline-Driven Development
Arbitrary deadlines override quality, scope, and sustainability. Everything is priority one. The team cuts corners to hit dates and accumulates debt that slows future delivery.
7 minute read
Everything Started, Nothing Finished
The board shows many items in progress but few reaching done. The team is busy but not delivering.
3 minute read
The Team Is Afraid to Deploy
Production deployments cause anxiety because they frequently fail. The team delays deployments, which increases batch size, which increases risk.
4 minute read
Hardening Sprints Are Needed Before Every Release
The team dedicates one or more sprints after “feature complete” to stabilize code before it can be released.
3 minute read
Releases Are Infrequent and Painful
Deploying happens monthly, quarterly, or less. Each release is a large, risky event that requires war rooms and weekend work.
3 minute read
Merging Is Painful and Time-Consuming
Integration is a dreaded, multi-day event. Teams delay merging because it is painful, which makes the next merge even worse.
3 minute read
Pipelines Take Too Long
CI/CD pipelines take 30 minutes or more. Developers stop waiting and lose the feedback loop.
3 minute read
Test Suite Is Too Slow to Run
The test suite takes 30 minutes or more. Developers stop running it locally and push without verifying.
3 minute read
Work Items Take Days or Weeks to Complete
Stories regularly take more than a week from start to done. Developers go days without integrating.
3 minute read