Strategies for Handling Unplanned Work During Sprint

Overview
The author discusses the common challenge of unplanned work appearing mid-sprint and presents a set of actionable techniques that help teams assess, prioritize, and incorporate such work without derailing the sprint goal.

Key Takeaways

• Distinguish between true emergencies and negotiable interruptions.
• Use a rapid triage buffer or a dedicated capacity slot within the sprint.
• Apply a lightweight impact assessment to decide if work must be taken immediately.
• Communicate transparently with stakeholders about trade-offs and re-forecast if needed.

Who Would Benefit

• Engineering managers and tech leads responsible for sprint planning.
• Scrum masters and agile coaches guiding development teams.
• Product owners who need to balance roadmap commitments with unexpected requests.
• Developers who want clearer guidelines for handling interruptions.