---
url: /recipes/iterative-sprints.md
description: >-
  Run short sprints by duplicating last sprint's folder and carrying over what
  is left.
---

# Run iterative sprints by duplicating

This recipe is for a small team that works in one- or two-week
[sprints](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrum_\(software_development\)) and doesn't want to rebuild
its board every time. You set up one sprint [folder](/concepts/hierarchy) once; each new sprint
is a copy of it, and whatever didn't get done moves over in one step.

You need a team that already works in the [workspace](/concepts/hierarchy).

::: warning Permissions to create and duplicate folders
A permission set that can create folders, lists and views, such as **List/Folder manager** or
**Admin**; see [Permissions and access](/reference/permissions-and-access).
:::

## Sprints folder: one sub-folder per sprint

Each sprint is its own folder with the same lists and views:

```text
Sprints (folder)
├── Backlog                  ← the list new work waits in
├── Sprint 14 (folder)
│   ├── Sprint 14 (list)     ← this sprint's tasks
│   ├── Board (Kanban view)
│   └── Review (Dashboard view)
└── Sprint 15 (folder)       ← a duplicate of Sprint 14, without its tasks
    ├── Sprint 15 (list)
    ├── Board (Kanban view)
    └── Review (Dashboard view)
```

Finished sprints stay as they were, so you can always look back at what a sprint held.

## Set up the sprint folder

1. Create a **Sprints** folder
   ([Create a folder](/guides/organize-folders-and-lists#create-a-folder)).
   It appears in the sidebar.
2. Inside it, create a **Backlog** list
   ([Create a list](/guides/organize-folders-and-lists#create-a-list)).
3. Inside **Sprints**, create a **Sprint 1** folder.
4. Add a list inside **Sprint 1**, then in its **Configure** → **Features** pick the **Scrum**
   preset ([Turn features on or off](/guides/set-up-a-list#turn-features-on-or-off)).
   Every feature is on, [story points and time tracking](/reference/task-fields) included.
5. In the **Sprint 1** folder's **…** menu choose **New view**, pick **Kanban** with the sprint
   list as its source, and set **Group** to **Status**
   ([Grouping by view type](/reference/view-grouping#grouping-by-view-type)).
   The board shows a column per status, for the daily stand-up.
6. Add a **Dashboard** view with **Completed per week** the same way, for the review
   ([Build a dashboard](/guides/build-a-dashboard)).
7. Share the **Sprints** folder with the team
   ([Share with a member](/guides/share-a-folder-or-list#share-with-a-member)).
   Sprint folders inside it get the same access.

## Run each sprint

### Plan the sprint

1. Open the last sprint folder's menu and choose **Duplicate**
   ([Duplicate a folder](/guides/organize-folders-and-lists#duplicate-a-folder)).
   The **Duplicate "…"** dialog opens with **Folder name** set to the name plus `(copy)`.

2. Type the new sprint's name in **Folder name**, keep **Destination** as **Sprints**, and click
   **Duplicate**.
   The copy has the same lists and views with their settings, and no tasks.

   ![The Sprints folder in the sidebar: Sprint 14 and its copy Sprint 15, each with the views Board and Review and a list — the copy's list is still named Sprint 14 until step 3 renames it — and the Backlog list](/shots/recipes/iterative-sprints-1.light.webp){.light-only}
   ![The Sprints folder in the sidebar: Sprint 14 and its copy Sprint 15, each with the views Board and Review and a list — the copy's list is still named Sprint 14 until step 3 renames it — and the Backlog list](/shots/recipes/iterative-sprints-1.dark.webp){.dark-only}

   ::: info Views outside the folder keep their sources
   A view that draws from a list outside the sprint folder still points there in the copy.
   :::

3. Rename the list inside it to the new sprint's name
   ([Rename and change icons](/guides/organize-folders-and-lists#rename-and-change-icons)).

4. In **Backlog**, select this sprint's tasks with `Cmd`+click (`Ctrl`+click on Windows and
   Linux), choose **Move** in the selection bar and pick the new sprint's list
   ([Change the selected tasks](/guides/edit-tasks-in-bulk#change-the-selected-tasks)).
   The tasks leave **Backlog**.

   ::: warning "The current status isn't available"?
   The target list uses other statuses. Pick the matching status from the target list.
   :::

5. Estimate them together in a **Scrum Poker** view
   ([Estimate with Scrum Poker](/guides/estimate-with-scrum-poker)).

### Work the sprint

Work from the sprint's Kanban view. Each person moves their own cards.

### Close the sprint and carry over

1. In the old sprint's list, filter to tasks whose **Stage** is none of **Done**
   ([Filter by due date and priority](/guides/filter-sort-and-group-a-view#filter-by-due-date-and-priority)).
   Only unfinished tasks remain.
2. Click **Select** in the view's toolbar.
   The selection bar appears.
3. Choose **Select all** in the selection bar, then **Move** and the new sprint's list or
   **Backlog**.
   The old list keeps only finished tasks.
4. Look at the dashboard together, then collapse the old sprint folder in the sidebar.

## Duplicate and move problems

* **No Duplicate in the folder menu.** You need permission to create folders, which the
  **List/Folder manager** set gives; see [Permissions and access](/reference/permissions-and-access).
* **"The current status isn't available" when moving.** The target list uses other statuses.
  Pick the matching status from the target list; see
  [Change statuses](/guides/set-up-a-list#change-statuses).
* **A view in the copy shows tasks from another list.** It draws from a list outside the sprint
  folder, and such sources stay as they were. Change the view's **Sources** to the new sprint's
  list; see [Views](/concepts/views).

## Variations: one list, timeline, ceremonies

* **One list per sprint, no folders.** Lists can't be duplicated, so keep the views on a
  workspace level and change their **Sources** to the new sprint list each time.
* **Fixed-length sprints on a timeline.** Give each sprint's tasks
  [start and due dates](/guides/create-and-edit-tasks) and plan
  them on a **Timeline** view
  ([Timeline](/guides/plan-on-timeline-and-calendar#timeline-move-resize-and-add-tasks)).
* **Recurring ceremonies.** Create the stand-up and retro as
  [recurring tasks](/guides/set-up-recurring-tasks) in the sprint list; the **Scrum** preset has
  **Repeats** on. Each occurrence appears in that list on its day. Duplicating doesn't stop the old
  series: when you close a sprint, open each ceremony in the old list and set its repeat to
  **Don't repeat**, then create the series again in the new sprint's list.