Sprints vs Marathons
This last year I ran my first ultramarathon. It was 50 kilometers (32 miles) of mostly fun, mixed with some pain and anguish. Here’s my summarized training plan:
Marathon Race Training
- Half a year of progressively longer and harder runs
- Healthy eating, which included cutting out most sugars
- Cross-training at the gym, working out different parts of my body
Most marathons are run in about 4 hours, with the world’s fastest marathon runner, Eliud Kipchoge, having done so in 2:01:39.
Let’s compare this to training for a 100 meter race. Here’s a summarized training plan:
100 Meter Race Training
- Sets of short sprints at the track with adequate rest between sets
- Healthy eating, which prioritizes protein intake
- Cross-training at the gym, working out different parts of your body
The 100 meter dash is a fast race, with runners poised on running blocks and exploding for ~10 seconds of running. Usain Bolt holds the world record at 9.58 seconds.
As you can see, both marathons and sprints have similar training principles (#2 and #3 are nearly identical) but vastly different time durations (4 hours versus 10 seconds).
In business we often have marathon goals, but marathon training doesn’t work very well for teams. It leads them to being overworked, never feeling like they accomplish much, and the big giant project never feels like it’s going to end (note: that is exactly how I felt about halfway through my ultramarathon!).
Sprinting is better in business teams, especially with good leaders who can drive long-term strategy. Teams who work in sprints are more effective, get more done, and don’t burn out. Here’s how it works.
Sprint Planning: What is it?
Sprint planning is a relatively new approach to working on projects. The principles are fairly straightforward:
- Every task is assigned points based on the difficulty/duration of the task
- Every team member chooses what they will work on for that week
- At the end of the week, each person is accountable to their tasks
The points themselves have rules behind them and are calibrated by the team. Here’s the general breakdown:
Story Points
1 – Minimum effort, low complexity (~1 hour)
2 – Low effort, little complexity (1-3 hours)
3 – Mild effort, some complexity (3-5 hours)
5 – Moderate effort, medium complexity (1 day)
8 – Severe effort, high complexity (multiple days)
13 – Max effort, high complexity (unknown days)
What’s especially interesting about these numbers is that they are based on the Fibonacci sequence, where each number is the sum of the two preceding numbers, which I particularly like because these numbers feel more natural and like they have purpose. When you get a 5-story-point task it feels right.
You can read more about sprint planning here, and if you’re curious what I have used to manage this I have used both Asana and Monday.
My Experience with Sprint Planning
When I joined Enso Rings I was faced with the daunting task of overseeing a creative team, which was responsible for ring designs, marketing materials, ads, company flyers, presentation decks to Disney, and a laundry list of other tasks. Keeping everything straight and prioritizing the right things was difficult to say the least.
Then we rolled out sprint planning for that team. Each Monday our project manager would meet with the team (including contractors) and they would run through each task, decide the story points, and assign it out. The process took about 30 minutes. In our project management dashboard you could see what everyone was working on, the points, and due dates. It was amazing.
What’s probably even more amazing is this improved visibility, accountability, and the designers were happier! Instead of getting blown up with last minute requests or not getting clear direction on a project, they had everything they needed to be successful.
I have also overseen a business intelligence team that used story points just as successfully. It’s hard for me to NOT think of a team that would benefit from trying some form of sprint planning. Looking back in my career when I built my first team I think about how much more productive and less burnt out we would have been had we worked in sprints.
There’s Some Insightful Principle Found In All This, Right?
Right! There’s actually three!
First of all, if you’re not experimenting/changing how you work then you need to shake things up! Learning about sprint planning has been revolutionary for me and my teams. And even if sprint planning doesn’t make sense for you, something else could.
Secondly, approaching work in sprints is a nice mindshift change. Too often we are bogged down and feel overworked. Sprinting helps us accomplish things in bite-sized (or should I say sprint sized?) pieces.
Lastly, while business is a marathon, when you break up the marathon into different parts it can become more fun. Having time to enjoy the journey versus just worrying about the 26 miles you need to slog through is a better way to approach your work life. Have fun! Enjoy it!
Conclusion
Sprint planning can be revolutionary for you and your team if you give it a go. With a little bit of planning (only 30 minutes per week for your whole team!) you can improve productivity, accountability, and help your team feel less burnout.
So have fun!
