At the midpoint we check our team’s progress. If the team is behind, the worst choice is to tell them to “catch up.” More pressure makes builders rush, skip tests, and ignore edge cases. That leads to bugs, technical debt, and burnout.
A better choice is to re‑scope. Ask: if the team keeps the same quality and pace, what can be finished this week? Remove lower‑value stories and set a new honest goal.
This protects quality, keeps builders working sustainably, and gives reliable velocity data for the next iteration.
Re‑scoping is responsible planning, not failure.
Stakeholders decide what to defer; builders keep producing well‑done work. Everyone wins when we value steady, high‑quality progress over frantic output.
Discussions for your team
- Do we as a team review track our actual progress, or do make hopes and wishes?
- Do we drop low‑value stories to match our realistic capacity?
- Do we always prioritize tests and edge cases?
- Do we let stakeholders choose what gets deferred?