Intro to Cycle Automation

Video Placeholder Duration: 4-6 minutes Topics covered: What is cycle automation, setting up auto-scheduling, rollover settings

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What is Cycle Automation?

Cycle Automation (also called Auto-Schedule Cycles) automatically creates and manages your sprint cycles. Instead of manually creating each cycle, Plane handles it for you — consistently, on schedule, every time.

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Why Automate Cycles?

Manual Cycle Management

• Remember to create each cycle
• Set dates correctly
• Transfer incomplete work
• Hope someone doesn't forget

Automated Cycle Management

• Cycles created automatically
• Consistent duration and naming
• Incomplete work rolls over
• No manual intervention needed

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Enabling Cycle Automation

Cycle Automation is a Business-tier feature:

1. Go to Project Settings
2. Navigate to Cycles or Automation section
3. Find Auto-Schedule Cycles
4. Click Configure or Enable

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Configuration Options

Cycle Duration

Set how long each cycle lasts:

Option	Duration
1 week	7 days
2 weeks	14 days (most common)
3 weeks	21 days
4 weeks	28 days
Custom	Your choice

Naming Convention

Define how cycles are named:

Format	Example
Sequential	Sprint 1, Sprint 2, Sprint 3
Date-based	Sprint Jan 1-14, Sprint Jan 15-28
Custom prefix	Engineering Sprint 1

Start Day

Choose when cycles begin:

• Monday (most common)
• Sunday
• Any day of the week

Future Cycles

How many cycles to pre-create:

• 1 ahead (just the next one)
• 2-4 ahead (see more future planning)

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Rollover Settings

What happens to incomplete work when a cycle ends?

Automatic Rollover

Incomplete items automatically move to the next cycle:

• Items not in Completed state
• Maintains continuity
• No manual transfers needed

Options

Setting	Behavior
Roll over all	All incomplete items move
Roll over by priority	Only High/Urgent items move
No rollover	Items return to backlog

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Cooldown Periods

Optional gaps between cycles:

What is a Cooldown?

Time between one cycle ending and the next beginning.

Use Cases

• 1-2 days — Sprint retrospective and planning
• 1 week — Hardening week
• None — Continuous sprints

Configuration

Set cooldown duration in automation settings.

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How It Works

Timeline Example

Jan 1-14:  Cycle 1 (Active)
Jan 15-28: Cycle 2 (Auto-created, Upcoming)
Jan 29+:   Cycle 3 (Auto-created, Upcoming)

When Jan 14 passes:
- Cycle 1 → Completed
- Incomplete items → Cycle 2
- Cycle 2 → Active
- Cycle 4 auto-created

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Setting Up Automation

Step-by-Step

1. Access Settings

   • Go to Project Settings → Cycles

2. Enable Auto-Schedule

   • Toggle on Auto-Schedule Cycles

3. Set Duration

   • Choose cycle length (e.g., 2 weeks)

4. Configure Naming

   • Set your naming pattern

5. Set Start Day

   • Choose when cycles begin

6. Configure Rollover

   • Decide how incomplete work is handled

7. Set Future Cycles

   • How many to pre-create

8. Add Cooldown (optional)

   • Time between cycles

9. Save

   • Automation begins

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Managing Automated Cycles

Override When Needed

You can still:

• Manually end a cycle early
• Adjust cycle dates
• Move items between cycles
• Create additional cycles

Pause Automation

If you need to stop:

• Disable auto-scheduling
• Existing cycles remain
• Resume anytime

Review Regularly

Check that automation works for your team:

• Is duration right?
• Is rollover behavior correct?
• Adjust settings as needed

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Best Practices

Consistent Duration

Pick a duration and stick with it:

• Teams develop rhythm
• Velocity becomes meaningful
• Planning improves

Meaningful Names

Use naming that helps:

• Sequential: Easy to reference history
• Date-based: Clear timeframe
• Thematic: Special sprints (Hardening Sprint)

Review Rollovers

Regularly check what's rolling over:

• Too much? Scope issues
• Same items repeatedly? Priority problems
• Nothing? Excellent execution

Plan Ahead

Use pre-created cycles for:

• Sprint planning sessions
• Roadmap communication
• Resource allocation

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Automation + Manual Control

You still control what matters:

• Which items go in cycles
• Priority and assignments
• Sprint goals
• When to end early

Automation handles the tedious parts:

• Creating cycles on schedule
• Consistent naming
• Transferring incomplete work

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Key Takeaways

• Cycle Automation auto-creates sprints on schedule
• Configure duration, naming, and start day
• Rollover automatically transfers incomplete work
• Optional cooldown periods between cycles
• Business tier feature
• Override or pause anytime
• Consistent cycles improve velocity tracking

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Next Steps

Beyond cycles, automate your workflows with Workflow Control (Custom Automations).

Next Lesson: Intro to Workflow Control