Modern engineering work rarely fits neatly into a single, fixed sprint plan. As teams grow and systems move closer to GA, unpredictability becomes the norm rather than the exception. The NOS model is a simple structural change that acknowledges this reality - without adding process overhead.

NOS = Normal | Overhead | Stretch

Background

Today, each team typically creates one sprint per period (usually bi-weekly), for example:

CrewName 10/15–10/28

In practice, this model breaks down in several ways.

Key Challenges

1. Unavoidable Overhead
New work routinely appears mid-sprint - urgent customer issues, Customer alarms, SME consultations, release - driven priorities. Continuous re-prioritization is unavoidable, especially during GA phases. A rigid 15-day commitment does not reflect how work actually happens.

2. No Clear Space for Stretch Goals
We lack a clean mechanism to track opportunistic or “nice-to-have” work that teams can take on when capacity opens up.

3. Label Fatigue
Using Jira labels to distinguish planned, unplanned, and stretch work has proven cumbersome and inconsistent. Labels add cognitive overhead without solving the underlying issue.

4. Unreliable Metrics
When priorities shift mid-sprint, sprint metrics lose meaning. Planned vs. completed work, planning accuracy, and predictability all become noisy, limiting our ability to learn and improve.

Proposal: The NOS Sprint Model

For every sprint period, instead of creating one sprint , create three parallel sprints :

...

We bought a vacuum cleaner.

Used it a couple of times—heavy, loud, and barely picked up anything. We gave up on it. In true Indian fashion, where returns aren't exactly Costco-easy, it just became part of the furniture. You buy it, you marry it.

Then came a surprise: a post-sales call from the manufacturer.

The rep started off very politely. I took the opportunity to explain our experience—the disappointing performance, the noise, and how we eventually just went back to relying on our trusty maid and her loyal sidekick: the good old broom.

And then… she snapped.

“Sir, everyone else is using it—why can’t you?”

I was stunned. That call remains one of the most intense post-sales feedback sessions I’ve ever had. To this day, whenever a chef hovers over my table and asks, “How’s the food?” while I’m mid-bite, I instinctively nod and say, “Everything’s great!”

Some scars run deep.

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I remember all this again today while reading some Marketing related literature for UoW Executive-MBA class :)

For some of the projects, in the beginning there is only Unknown! 

• Nothing has been built yet.
• No clear role models exist—only distant possibilities of feasibility.
• The team is entirely new.
• Committing to a deadline comes with a high risk of missing it.

In these situations, the best strategy a manager can adopt is ** controlled chaos **. This doesn’t mean having no strategy at all; rather, it means learning to navigate and leverage chaos effectively. The key is to embrace the unknown while continuously working toward order.

### **Build the Team**

Building a team isn’t just about hiring people and putting them in a shared space—physical or virtual. A strong team is one where every member feels motivated, empowered, and safe to take action. There’s no universal formula for this; every manager and every team is different. Experiment with different approaches, discard what doesn’t work, and adopt what does. Most importantly, recognize that team-building is an ongoing process, not just something that happens in the first month.

### **Learn from Progress (Both Success and Failure)**

Failure is an inevitable part of any ambitious project, but it’s also a valuable learning opportunity. The key is to create a culture where these lessons are absorbed and applied. Learning from both successes and failures must be embedded in the team’s DNA, otherwise, these insights will be lost.

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