01 — Sprint Cadence

A sprint is a time-boxed unit of learning with a defined goal, a defined review, and a defined adjustment. Two weeks is the right length for DSA learning: short enough that you can adjust when something isn’t working, long enough that you can actually learn something before the review happens. One-week sprints produce constant context-switching. Month-long sprints allow silent failure to accumulate undetected for 30 days.

You will run approximately 19 two-week sprints across 9 months. Not every sprint will go to plan — the sprint system is designed for that. The review and adjustment mechanism is the point.

Sprint Structure

Week 1 — Learn + First Application

  • Days 1-3: Learn the target concept. Read, watch, derive. Take notes in lab notebook.

  • Days 4-5: First application. Attempt 2-3 easy/medium problems on this concept. Do not look at editorials until you’ve attempted for at least 20 minutes.

  • Check: Can you name the pattern? Can you state the time complexity? If no to either — spend another session on the concept before proceeding.

Week 2 — Deepen + Practice + Review

  • Days 1-3: Deepen. Attempt harder problems on the same concept. Introduce variations. Attempt one medium problem you haven’t seen, without notes.

  • Days 4-5: Sprint review. Measure against sprint goals. Fill review template. Adjust scope for next sprint.

  • Check: Sprint exit criteria met? See phase roadmap for criteria. Do not advance to next phase if criteria unmet — reduce next sprint scope and revisit instead.

Sprint Planning Template

Fill this at the start of every sprint. Be specific. Vague sprint goals produce vague results.

---
SPRINT PLANNING
---
Sprint Number  : S[ ]
Dates          : [start] → [end]
Phase          : Phase [ ] — [Phase Name]

Primary Learning Goal (1 sentence, specific):
> 

Problem Target :
  Easy   : [ ] problems
  Medium : [ ] problems
  Hard   : [ ] problems
  Pattern Focus: 

Portfolio Rung Status:
  Current Rung : [ ]
  Rung Target This Sprint: [ ]

Known Risk This Sprint:
  [ ] Travel
  [ ] Festival / family event
  [ ] Work deadline / crunch
  [ ] Other: _______________
  Mitigation: 

Minimum Viable Sprint (if risk materializes, what is the floor?):
> 
---

Sprint Review Template

Fill this at the end of every sprint. Honesty is the only operational rule here — no one is reading this except you.

---
SPRINT REVIEW
---
Sprint Number  : S[ ]
Dates          : [start] → [end]

Problems Solved:
  Planned: E[ ] M[ ] H[ ]
  Actual:  E[ ] M[ ] H[ ]
  Completion %: [ ]%

Pattern That Clicked This Sprint:
> 

Pattern That Still Doesn't Click:
> 

Hours Logged:
  Planned: [ ] hrs
  Actual:  [ ] hrs

Exit Criteria Met? (Y/N): [ ]
If N — what specifically is unmet?
> 

Adjustment for Next Sprint:
  [ ] Reduce scope (problem count down by ___)
  [ ] Carry forward unfinished topic
  [ ] Revisit concept (which one: ___)
  [ ] Maintain current scope
  [ ] Increase scope (only if 100% completion + exit criteria met)

One-line sprint summary:
> 
---

The Slippage Rule

If you complete less than 60% of your sprint goals, do not try to compensate by increasing next sprint’s scope. Do the opposite: reduce scope by 25%.

This rule exists because the natural instinct after a bad sprint is to schedule a harder sprint to “catch up.” That instinct is wrong. It produces burnout, not recovery. The gaps that caused 60% completion in sprint N will not be resolved by attempting 125% in sprint N+1. They will be resolved by understanding what caused the gap and adjusting the system.

The slippage rule is not forgiveness. It is engineering. You are adjusting input parameters to get the desired output, not punishing yourself for the last run.

Sprint Calendar: S1–S19

Sprint

Dates

Month

Phase

S1

Jul 27 – Aug 9

M1

Phase 0: Foundations

S2

Aug 10 – Aug 23

M1-M2

Phase 0 / Phase 1

S3

Aug 24 – Sep 6

M2

Phase 1: Arrays & Strings

S4

Sep 7 – Sep 20

M2-M3

Phase 1 / Phase 2

S5

Sep 21 – Oct 4

M3

Phase 2: Linked Lists + Recursion

S6

Oct 5 – Oct 18

M3-M4

Phase 2 / Phase 3

S7

Oct 19 – Nov 1

M4

Phase 3: Trees

S8

Nov 2 – Nov 15

M4-M5

Phase 3 / Phase 4

S9

Nov 16 – Nov 29

M5

Phase 4: Graphs I

S10

Nov 30 – Dec 13

M5-M6

Phase 4: Graphs II

S11

Dec 14 – Dec 27

M6

Phase 5: DP I

S12

Dec 28 – Jan 10

M6-M7

Phase 5: DP II

S13

Jan 11 – Jan 24

M7

Phase 5: DP III + Contest start

S14

Jan 25 – Feb 7

M7-M8

Phase 6: Advanced DS

S15

Feb 8 – Feb 21

M8

Phase 6: Advanced DS

S16

Feb 22 – Mar 7

M8-M9

Phase 7: Integration

S17

Mar 8 – Mar 21

M9

Phase 7: Hard problems

S18

Mar 22 – Apr 4

M9

Phase 7: Contests

S19

Apr 5 – Apr 18

M9

Phase 7: Portfolio + Capstone

Buffer

Apr 19 – Apr 27

Final

Review + celebrate

Note on S6 (Oct 5-18): Diwali 2026 falls around Oct 20-24. Build in a protected break — see 08_health_burnout.md for festival protection protocol.

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