AGILE IN ACTION

Currently most agile development teams seem to settle naturally and comfortably with an iteration length between 1 and 4 weeks. Iterations longer than 4 weeks seem like a lifetime and it's easy to lose any development rhythm because the end of the iteration is too far away from the start.

A fixed iteration length enables a team to establish a development and delivery rhythm. It facilitates improved estimation accuracy allowing the team to obtain a tangible feel for what they can deliver within an iteration. Rhythm is an important factor, which helps a team achieve a sustained pace. In a 2-week iteration, the team get used to planning for 0.5 days at the start of an iteration, developing for 9 days with increasing intensity, and then reviewing the functionality with the customer for 0.5 days at the end of an iteration. This cycle provides a consistent environment for the team.