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Report what shipped and what slipped after a sprint
Practice: Catching mistakes and made-up facts. About 5 minutes.
About this exercise
You're sending stakeholders the sprint review summary. Write exactly 3 lines labeled Shipped:, Slipped: and Next sprint:, plain text, under 70 words. Count something as shipped only if it's live for customers, not just demoed or merged, and give the reason for each slip in a few words.
Common mistakes when you ask AI for this
- Asking for 'a sprint summary'. The AI writes a long report with headings, velocity and retro notes. Try: Be exact: "3 lines labeled Shipped:, Slipped:, Next sprint:. Plain text."
- Trusting the AI to count words. AI is bad at counting. Ask for a total word limit and it often lands over it. Try: Cap each line instead: "each line under 20 words."
- Counting demos as shipped. Tag suggestions were demoed and merged, so the AI counts them as done. Try: Add: "Shipped means live for customers. Tag suggestions isn't live yet."
- Slips without reasons, plus noise. The AI lists slips without why, and adds team stats stakeholders don't need. Try: Add: "Give each slip's reason in a few words. No velocity or team notes."
What a strong prompt includes
- Shows the labels
- Defines shipped
- Gives slip reasons
- Drops team noise
- Sets a word limit
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