Tactical Planning — Virtual AI Patient
Weekly Iteration Cycle for Our Project
1. What is Tactical Planning?
Tactical planning is our short-term, execution-focused process that translates strategic goals into concrete weekly tasks. It answers:
- What are we doing this week?
- Who is doing it?
- How do we incorporate feedback?
- When do we adjust course?
For our project, tactical planning operates on a weekly cycle centered around Thursday feedback sessions with Denis.
2. Our Weekly Tactical Rhythm
| Day | Activity | Duration | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday | Feedback Session with Denis | 30–60 min | Get course corrections, prioritize next steps |
| Friday | Sprint Review + Retrospective | 45–60 min | Review completed work, identify improvements |
| Monday | Sprint Planning | 30–45 min | Plan tasks based on feedback |
| Tuesday–Wednesday | Execution | 2 days | Complete assigned tasks |
| Thursday | (repeat) | — | Present progress, get new feedback |
3. The Weekly Iteration Loop
┌─────────────────────────── ──────────────────────────────┐
│ │
│ [Thursday] │
│ Denis Feedback Session │
│ • Demo current work │
│ • Receive feedback on what to change │
│ • Get priorities for next presentation │
│ • Document action items │
│ ↓ │
│ [Friday] │
│ Sprint Review + Retrospective │
│ • Review what was completed this week │
│ • Document action items │
│ ↓ │
│ [Monday] │
│ Sprint Planning │
│ • Create Issues from Denis's feedback │
│ • Prioritize tasks for the week │
│ • Assign owners │
│ • Set acceptance criteria │
│ ↓ │
│ [Tuesday–Wednesday] │
│ Execution │
│ • Work on assigned tasks │
│ • Daily standups │
│ • Update GitHub Issues │
│ ↓ │
│ [Thursday] (repeat) │
│ │
└─────────────────────────── ──────────────────────────────┘
4. Detailed Breakdown of Each Phase
4.1 Thursday — Feedback Session with Denis
When: Every Thursday
Who Attends: Entire team
Agenda:
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 5 min | Quick recap of what we did this week |
| 20 min | Demo current work (UI, functionality, progress) |
| 20 min | Denis provides feedback |
| 10 min | Q&A and clarification |
| 5 min | Document action items |
Types of Feedback Denis Might Give:
| Feedback Type | Example | How We Capture |
|---|---|---|
| Change to existing work | “The chat UI needs emotion indicators” | Create GitHub Issue |
| New priority | “Focus on evaluation engine next” | Reprioritize backlog |
| Course correction | “Don’t spend more time on X, switch to Y” | Update sprint plan |
| Presentation prep | “For the next demo, show this feature” | Create preparation task |
Output: List of action items documented in GitHub Issues or team notes.
4.2 Friday — Sprint Review
When: Every Friday, after Thursday’s feedback
Sprint Review (20 min)
| Activity | Description |
|---|---|
| Review completed work | Go through Issues closed this week |
| Demo anything not seen Thursday | Show any new functionality |
| Check against goals | Did we achieve what we planned Monday? |
| Document completed | Ensure all done Issues are closed |
Output:
- Notes saved to
/docs/sprints/ - 1-2 action items for next week
4.3 Monday — Sprint Planning
When: Every Monday morning
Inputs:
- Denis’s feedback from Thursday
- Action items from Friday
- Product backlog (prioritized)
- Team capacity
Planning Process:
| Step | Activity | Tool |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Review Denis’s feedback and create Issues | GitHub Issues |
| 2 | Prioritize tasks for the week | Labels: priority: * |
| 3 | Break down complex tasks | Issue checklists |
| 4 | Estimate effort (optional) | size: * labels |
| 5 | Assign owners | GitHub Assignees |
| 6 | Move to Sprint Backlog | GitHub Project board |
| 7 | Set acceptance criteria | Issue description |
Output: Sprint backlog ready with 3-7 Issues for the week.
4.4 Tuesday–Wednesday — Execution
When: Tuesday and Wednesday
Who: All team members working on assigned tasks
Daily Standup (15 min each day)
Each person answers:
| Question | How We Track |
|---|---|
| What did I do yesterday? | Link to Issues/PRs |
| What will I do today? | Assign yourself to Issues |
| What blockers do I have? | Add blocked label + comment |
Standup Format:
- Async: Comments in GitHub or team chat
- Sync: Quick call (if needed)
During Execution:
| Activity | Tool |
|---|---|
| Update issue status | Move across project board |
| Create PRs | Link to Issues (Closes #123) |
| Request reviews | GitHub Reviewers |
| Fix bugs | Create bug Issues |
Goal by Wednesday end: All tasks for the week should be complete or nearly complete.
5. GitHub Setup for Tactical Planning
5.1 Project Board: “Sprint Backlog”
| Column | Description | Automation |
|---|---|---|
| To Do | Tasks for this week, not started | Issues added during Sprint Planning |
| In Progress | Being worked on now | Moved manually when assigned |
| Review | PR submitted, awaiting review | Auto-move when PR opened |
| Done | Completed and closed | Auto-move when Issue closed |
5.2 Labels for Tactical Planning
| Category | Labels |
|---|---|
| Priority | priority: critical, priority: high, priority: medium, priority: low |
| Status | status: blocked, status: in-progress, status: review-needed |
| Size | size: small, size: medium, size: large |
| Type | feature, bug, documentation, feedback |
6. Handling Common Scenarios
Scenario 1: Task Takes Longer Than Expected
| What Happens | Action |
|---|---|
| Task not finished by Wednesday | Move to next week’s sprint; communicate in Thursday feedback |
| Blocked by dependency | Add blocked label; escalate to Denis if needed |
| Scope grows | Break into smaller Issues; prioritize core part |
Scenario 2: Denis Changes Priorities Mid-Week
| Situation | Response |
|---|---|
| New urgent request | Add to current sprint if capacity allows |
| Major direction change | Finish current week’s critical tasks; adjust next sprint |
| Deprioritized work | Move to backlog; document reason |
Scenario 3: Team Member Unavailable
| Situation | Response |
|---|---|
| Planned time off | Plan sprints around it; cross-train backup |
| Unexpected sick day | Team redistributes tasks |
| Multiple absences | Adjust sprint scope; communicate to Denis |
7. Success Metrics for Tactical Planning
| Metric | Target | How to Measure |
|---|---|---|
| Feedback incorporation | 100% of Denis’s actionable feedback appears in next sprint | Track feedback Issues |
| Sprint completion rate | ≥80% of planned tasks completed | Count closed vs planned |
| PR review time | <24 hours | GitHub Insights |
| Blockers resolved | <2 days | Time from blocked to resolved |
| Review action items | ≥1 implemented per week | Track in next sprint |
8. Summary: Our Tactical Planning Rhythm
| Day | Activity | Output |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday | Denis feedback | Action items, new priorities |
| Friday | Review + Retro | Completed work list, improvement ideas |
| Monday | Sprint Planning | Sprint backlog for the week |
| Tuesday–Wed | Execution | Completed tasks, PRs |
| Thursday | (repeat) | Next feedback session |
The Golden Rule: Everything we do connects back to Denis’s feedback and moves us toward our strategic roadmap.
Document Version: 1.0 — March 15, 2026