Roles
| Role | Count | Async Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Decider | 1 | Must respond within 12 hours when the AI escalates a decision. Cannot delegate without explicit handoff. |
| Sprint team | 4–6 | Everyone commits to the per-phase time investment and deadline compliance |
| AI Mediator | 1 (the AI) | Replaces the human Facilitator entirely |
| Extra experts | 2–5 | Participate only in Phase 1 expert Q&A threads |
Team Size: 6 or Fewer (Plus the AI)
Async coordination gets harder with more people. The original recommends 7; for async, cap at 6 humans. The AI handles facilitation, so it doesn’t count toward the cap.
The Decider’s Async Contract
The Decider is even more critical in async than in co-located sprints. Without them, the sprint stalls at every phase gate. Before the sprint starts, the Decider must commit to:
- 12-hour response time on decisions the AI escalates
- Attendance at sync windows (if any are scheduled)
- Reading all submissions before casting votes
- Not delegating to the group — their job is to decide, not to seek consensus
The AI should confirm this commitment explicitly before the sprint begins.
Team Member Commitments
Each team member agrees to:
- 3–4 hours of focused work per phase
- Submitting all deliverables before phase deadlines
- Responding to AI prompts within 24 hours
- No ghosting — if you can’t continue, tell the AI so the team can adjust