How engineering teams handle unplanned work

via Kevin Stewart: How engineering teams handle unplanned work | by Anna Debenham | boldstart ventures | Aug, 2023 | Medium

Anna Debenham on Medium: How engineering teams handle unplanned work

People I’ve worked with have likely heard me use a suitcase metaphor to describe an engineering team’s capacity: imagine you’re packing for vacation, and your suitcase is already full of clothes, toiletries, and all the essentials. If you want to add something else, you’ll need to remove something first.

Think of the suitcase as your next cycle’s work. There is only so much you can fit in. You can increase your suitcase’s capacity by hiring more team members, or transferring stuff between other suitcases in other teams.

Where I see teams often fail is that their suitcase is filled to the brim with feature work, leaving no room for the unplanned stuff. That’s when the zips on your suitcase break, and you start spilling toiletries and underpants on the floor.

Mmm hmm.