On-Call Weeks Need Separate Planning, Not Just Extra Alerts on a Normal Sprint

Software engineer Serguey Asael Shinder argues that on-call weeks are fundamentally different from regular work weeks and should be planned accordingly. The core problem is that deep, focused work — such as large migrations — cannot coexist with the constant interruption risk that on-call duty creates. Shinder recommends removing heavy tasks from the board during on-call rotations and filling the week with smaller, interruptible work instead. He also emphasizes clean handovers, including brief notes on incidents, so context is not lost between rotations. Treated this way, an on-call week becomes productive and manageable rather than a disrupted sprint.