a·gen·tic a·gil·i·ty

Microsoft shift from 2-year cycles to 3-week Sprints caused team anxiety

TL;DR; When Microsoft switched from two-year release cycles to three-week Sprints, teams initially felt anxious because increased transparency exposed inefficiencies and technical debt. However, teams that embraced this openness improved dramatically, moving from delivering 24 features a year to shipping multiple times daily. Development managers should consider whether their teams are ready to use transparency as a tool for continuous improvement.

Published on
1 minute read
Image
https://nkdagility.com/resources/AW5GP1Vnnp5
Subscribe

When Microsoft moved from a two-year delivery cycle to 3-week Sprints, something unexpected happened, teams became terrified.

Not of the work itself, but of the transparency.

Suddenly, it was impossible to hide inefficiencies. Bad code was exposed. Delivery bottlenecks became visible. And that fear? It was real.

But here’s the thing, transparency isn’t the enemy; it’s the only way to improve. The teams that embraced the new way of working went from delivering 24 features per year to shipping multiple times per day.

Fear of failure keeps teams stuck in technical debt. The best teams face it head-on.

Is your organisation ready to embrace transparency?

Also published on: LinkedIn
Smart Classifications

Each classification [Concepts, Categories, & Tags] was assigned using AI-powered semantic analysis and scored across relevance, depth, and alignment. Final decisions? Still human. Always traceable. Hover to see how it applies.

Subscribe

Connect with Martin Hinshelwood

If you've made it this far, it's worth connecting with our principal consultant and coach, Martin Hinshelwood, for a 30-minute 'ask me anything' call.

Our Happy Clients​

We partner with businesses across diverse industries, including finance, insurance, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, technology, engineering, transportation, hospitality, entertainment, legal, government, and military sectors.​

SuperControl Logo

SuperControl

New Signature Logo

New Signature

Bistech Logo

Bistech

DFDS Logo

DFDS

Ericson Logo

Ericson

Boeing Logo

Boeing

Qualco Logo

Qualco

Lockheed Martin Logo

Lockheed Martin

Higher Education Statistics Agency Logo

Higher Education Statistics Agency

ALS Life Sciences Logo

ALS Life Sciences

Slicedbread Logo

Slicedbread

Genus Breeding Ltd Logo

Genus Breeding Ltd

Workday Logo

Workday

Kongsberg Maritime Logo

Kongsberg Maritime

NIT A/S

ProgramUtvikling Logo

ProgramUtvikling

Illumina Logo

Illumina

Healthgrades Logo

Healthgrades

Washington Department of Enterprise Services Logo

Washington Department of Enterprise Services

New Hampshire Supreme Court Logo

New Hampshire Supreme Court

Nottingham County Council Logo

Nottingham County Council

Department of Work and Pensions (UK) Logo

Department of Work and Pensions (UK)

Ghana Police Service Logo

Ghana Police Service

Royal Air Force Logo

Royal Air Force

SuperControl Logo

SuperControl

NIT A/S

Capita Secure Information Solutions Ltd Logo

Capita Secure Information Solutions Ltd

CR2

Lean SA Logo

Lean SA

Qualco Logo

Qualco