I don't do death marches Most software developers have had the 'privilege' of involvement in at least one death march. As a rule, I steer well clear.
The babushka story You're probably familiar with the famous Russian dolls. But have you heard about their infamous cousins, the Babushka user stories?
Manage delivery, not time Too many Agile teams make the mistake that the purpose of a sprint is to produce two weeks worth of work. It isn't. The well-planned sprint is a focused collection of activities to achieve specific goals or produce pre-agreed deliverables.