When the Sprint Ends but the Rules Change
Building software for regulated industries means living in a constant “hurry up and wait” cycle. We sprint to meet deadlines... then pivot when the rules change.
5/2/20251 min read
Working at the intersection of software and regulation is a constant balancing act. We run 6-week sprints to support and maintain the tools our teams rely on... but health insurance doesn’t operate on sprint cycles. It runs on regulatory calendars. Yearly filings, quarterly updates, monthly changes from state/federal agencies.
That means sometimes we finish a sprint proud of what we built... only to find out the rules changed while we were heads-down. A state template gets updated. CMS changes guidance. A requirement we designed for just isn’t relevant anymore.
It’s frustrating, but it’s not failure. It’s just what happens when you try to build long-term software in a short-term ruleset.
So we try to stay light on our feet. Ship what matters now. Avoid overcomplicating things. Talk to the business early and often. Sometimes it feels like we’re chasing a moving target... but that’s the job. It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being ready to change course without sinking the ship.