Deciding on an Iteration Duration
You’ve decided to manage the project using timeboxed iterations. But how long do you make the iteration?
Make the iteration’s duration as much time as you can afford to waste. If you can afford to waste a whole project, then you can use a serial life cycle. If you can’t afford waste, then choose an iteration duration of somewhere between one and four weeks. The shorter the iteration, the easier it will be to rerank requirements and adapt to changes as they occur. The longer the iteration, the larger the chunks people can accomplish.
I don’t recommend iteration durations of longer than four weeks. It’s too easy for the team to fall into Student Syndrome (see Tip 18, Help Project Team Members Avoid Student ...
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