Iterations

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Iterations are horizontal delivery slices across approaches. They group work that should ship together into a coherent release.

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What iterations are NOT

• Not sprints. No fixed timebox. An iteration is done when its work is done.
• Not releases. No deployment coupling. You might deploy continuously while working toward an iteration milestone.
• Not sequential. Multiple iterations can be active at once. Work on “Phase 2” can start before “Phase 1” is fully done.

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What iterations ARE

Iterations are thematic groupings. Each one pulls jobs from multiple approaches across multiple goals. When you filter the Delivery Map to an iteration, you see exactly what’s in scope — a focused view of “what are we delivering right now?”

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The Later iteration

Every project has a system iteration called Later. It’s the inbox — all unassigned work defaults here. Later is hidden from the Delivery Map unless explicitly selected. When you capture an idea but aren’t ready to commit it to a delivery slice, assign it to Later. During planning, you pull jobs from Later into real iterations.

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The key principle

A need does not need to be completely met before moving on. Ship the must-have approach, let it soak, then progress higher-value work elsewhere. The need persists. You return with an incremental or delighter approach when the signal says it’s time. This is what iterations enable — you’re not finishing one thing before starting another. You’re making balanced progress across multiple bets, shipping proof at each step.

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Iteration lifecycle

Marking an iteration done doesn’t affect its jobs — they retain their iteration assignment for historical reference.