Back when I was a software manager, I had to sequence work into sprints or everyone (up and down) would freak out. The part I relaxed the team on: I didn't car

Back when I was a software manager, I had to sequence work into sprints or everyone (up and down) would freak out. The part I relaxed the team on: I didn't care at all if work spilled over into the next sprint. This alone removed the stress of adding mid-sprint activities (which obviously needs to be done from time to time for at minimum reactionary purposes) and allowed more thoughtful medium-term analysis and execution. I was still on-time for delivery (at least above par on delivery timelines compared to sister teams), but with much less burn-out and generally more favorable ratings and well-constructed systems. The thought that any meaningful work (including components of meaningful work) would naturally fall within a 2 week period of time has always baffled me. That said, I have always been very good at identifying critical paths, minimal requirements, and estimated effort; I'm not sure if this strategy would work well without sufficient planning.