Plan work with Cycles

Cycles help you organize work into focused time periods - like sprints. Instead of endless lists of work items, cycles create clear boundaries with start dates, end dates, and specific goals your team can work toward together.

In this tutorial, you'll:

• Understand when and why to use cycles for time-based planning
• Create cycles with clear timeframes and achievable goals
• Add and organize work items within cycle boundaries
• Track progress and team velocity over time
• Complete cycles and extract learning for future planning

Understand cycle-based planning

Cycles are time-boxed containers for your work that create focused periods where your team commits to completing specific work items within set timeframes.

Key benefits:

• Clear deadlines create urgency and focus
• Team alignment on what's being worked on when
• Progress tracking shows velocity and capacity over time
• Regular delivery of completed work to stakeholders

When to use cycles

• Sprint planning - 1-2 week focused work periods for agile development
• Release cycles - Group work leading to specific product releases
• Feature development - Time-boxed periods for completing related functionality
• Goal-driven work - Organize work around specific outcomes or milestones

Create your first cycle

Build a focused work period with clear boundaries and achievable goals.

1. Begin creating your cycle

   • In your project sidebar, click Cycles.
   • Click Add cycle button (top-right).
   • The cycle creation dialog opens.

2. Set up cycle information: Choose a clear title

   • Name that describes the cycle's purpose and timeframe.
   • Example: "Sprint 1: User Authentication".
   • Be specific enough that team members understand the focus.

   Add a helpful description

   • Explain what this cycle aims to accomplish.
   • Include success criteria or goals.
   • Example: "Complete core user authentication features including login, registration, password reset, and basic profile management. Goal is to have a functional auth system ready for beta testing."

   Set your timeframe

   • Start date: When work begins (often Monday for team alignment).
   • End date: When work should be complete (typically 1-2 weeks later).
   • Recommended: Try a 2-week period for your first cycle.

3. Create the cycle

   • Click Create cycle to save.
   • Your cycle appears in Upcoming or Active section based on start date.

Navigate the cycles interface

Explore how Plane organizes your cycles and provides timeline visibility.

Understand cycle organization:

• Active - Currently running cycles
• Upcoming - Planned but not yet started
• Completed - Finished cycles with results

This gives you comprehensive perspective on your project's planned work across past, present, and future periods.

Add work items to your cycle

Populate your cycle with the right amount of work for your team's capacity.

1. Open your cycle for planning

   • Click on your newly created cycle name.
   • You'll see the cycle detail view with progress charts and work item areas.

2. Choose your work addition method:

   • Create new work items: Build tasks specifically for this cycle.
   • Add existing work items: Move work from backlog into the cycle.

3. Start with appropriate scope:

   • New team: 3-5 work items to build confidence.
   • Experienced team: 5-8 work items based on past velocity.
   • Solo work: 2-4 work items for manageable focus.

4. Plan for success:

   • Under-commit and over-deliver rather than consistently missing deadlines.
   • Choose work that can realistically be completed in the timeframe.
   • Leave buffer time for unexpected challenges or scope changes.
   • You can always add more items if you finish early.

Track cycle progress

Once your cycle is active with work items, monitor progress regularly to ensure successful delivery and continuous improvement.

1. Monitor key metrics on the cycle detail page

   • Completion percentage: How much work is done
   • Burn-down chart: Work remaining over time
   • Work item breakdown: Status distribution (pending, started, completed)

2. Establish daily check-in routine

   • See which work items need attention
   • Identify blockers or delays early
   • Adjust scope if needed (move items out rather than extending deadlines)
   • Celebrate completed work to maintain momentum

3. Build team velocity insights

   • How much work your team can realistically complete
   • Which types of work take longer than expected
   • When to adjust cycle length or team capacity
   • What external factors affect team productivity

You can interpret cycle progress metrics and use them to make informed decisions about scope and timeline.

Complete cycles effectively

Finish cycles with clear outcomes and learning for future improvement.

1. Focus on delivery as deadlines approach

   • Prioritize completion over starting new work items.
   • Move incomplete work to the next cycle or back to backlog.
   • Avoid scope creep by resisting urge to add last-minute work.

2. Conduct cycle review

   • Completed work items: What the team delivered successfully
   • Incomplete items: What needs to carry over and why
   • Lessons learned: What worked well and what needs improvement

3. Extract actionable insights

   • Velocity calibration: Adjust work estimates for next cycle
   • Process improvements: Address recurring blockers or inefficiencies
   • Team capacity: Better understand realistic commitments
   • Scope management: Improve work breakdown and estimation

You've created your first cycle and learned the fundamentals of time-boxed work planning. This approach helps teams deliver consistently and makes progress visible to everyone.

What's next?

Your cycle planning skills are established! You're ready to:

• Create content with Pages for documentation, meeting notes, and other project requirements.