1 month sprints are certainly ok, 2 months is rather heavy and 3 months is way too long.
As for taking advantage of those major events, again it comes down to planning. Ratcheting up efforts to meet a goal is one thing, but waiting until the last minute to address those goals is another.
I think we're saying the same things here, just depends on the situation at hand. I especially agree on scope creep, which I recently heard described for one project as "flexibility to change gears". The long-term negative effect so substantially negates the short-term gain, yet project owners are remarkably blind to the situation.
As for taking advantage of those major events, again it comes down to planning. Ratcheting up efforts to meet a goal is one thing, but waiting until the last minute to address those goals is another.
I think we're saying the same things here, just depends on the situation at hand. I especially agree on scope creep, which I recently heard described for one project as "flexibility to change gears". The long-term negative effect so substantially negates the short-term gain, yet project owners are remarkably blind to the situation.