Spiral Iteration

Iterations are common practice. At the risk of a “water is wet” statement: it’s important that you don’t simply perform the ceremony of iterations - holding weekly planning meetings and checking off backlog items - without ensuring the iterations are moving the team toward their North Stars, or toward discovering them. Iterations need to contribute to the strategy.

Oblivious iteration causes teams to spin in circles, sometimes under the false appearance of progress. A spiral is a better mental model than a circle - spiraling into a target or out to a broader perspective.

The question that matters: “Where are the cycles driving to?”