Contents
- In CEM, a Sweep (the code audit equivalent) and a Burst (the development sprint equivalent) serve opposite functions that are both essential to sustained output.
- A Sweep is continuous background maintenance that prevents debris accumulation.
- A Burst is a controlled divergent explosion that generates forward motion when the operator is stuck or facing irreducible uncertainty.
In CEM, a Sweep (the code audit equivalent) and a Burst (the development sprint equivalent) serve opposite functions that are both essential to sustained output. A Sweep is continuous background maintenance that prevents debris accumulation. A Burst is a controlled divergent explosion that generates forward motion when the operator is stuck or facing irreducible uncertainty. Sweeps maintain; Bursts create.
The Agile Alliance defines sprints as timeboxed development periods focused on delivering incremental value. CEM redefines both concepts. Traditional code audits happen periodically -- "every fourth sprint is for paying down debt." Traditional sprints are fixed-duration iteration cycles. CEM replaces both with continuous mechanisms that run in parallel rather than alternating sequentially.
Sweeps are background maintenance running parallel to primary work. They include three components: background maintenance (documentation updates, storage organization, knowledge capture, technical hygiene), upward patches (consulting specialists when hitting capability ceilings), and downward patches (delegating tasks below the operator's level). The defining property: continuous rather than periodic. Documentation updates happen alongside code changes, not in a separate phase. During validation, Sweeps maintained zero backlog across the entire 116-day window. Sweep support cost started at $7,995 for PRJ-08 (68.6% external support) and dropped to $0 for PRJ-04 (100% operator execution) as capability transferred through upward patch learning.
Burst is a three-step mechanism -- Contract (absorb the problem), Generate (produce 3-5 candidates at 80% resolution), Sort (route through the Pendulum: advance or stash) -- deployed when execution stalls or when genuine strategic uncertainty requires parallel exploration. Burst operates in two modes: reactive (breaking analysis paralysis) and proactive (generating strategic candidates under irreducible uncertainty).
The PRJ-08/PRJ-09/PRJ-10/PRJ-11 cluster is the clearest Burst example: four insurance verticals deployed simultaneously from shared Foundation. Sweep cost dropped 79% from first to fourth candidate ($7,995 to $1,680). The Golang fork (PRJ-05 to PRJ-07) is an ecosystem-level Burst: same product concept, different runtime, validated through parallel execution rather than hypothetical analysis.
The mechanisms interact. Sweeps keep Foundation healthy so that Burst has quality patterns to draw from. Burst outputs feed back into Foundation for Sweeps to maintain. Neither works without the other. Sweeps without Burst produces a well-maintained system that never grows. Burst without Sweeps produces explosive output on a degrading foundation.
The cost of stasis -- producing zero output -- exceeds the cost of five imperfect Burst attempts. The cost of accumulated debris exceeds the cost of continuous Sweep maintenance. Both mechanisms exist because their absence is more expensive than their presence.
Related: FAQ #47 (The 11 Mechanisms), FAQ #50 (Scaffold in Practice)
References
- Agile Alliance (n.d.). "Agile Glossary." Sprint and Technical Debt definitions.
- Keating, M.G. (2026). "The Compounding Execution Method: Complete Technical Documentation." Stealth Labz. Browse papers