Keeping the Lights On: Agile’s Hidden Priority

Introduction: Why KTLO matters in Agile delivery

In Agile environments, teams are expected to innovate and deliver new features at speed. Yet, not all work is about building something new. A large portion of effort is consumed by routine operations, maintenance, and bug fixes. This is known as KTLO (Keeping the Lights On).

For CTOs, CIOs, product managers, and digital leaders, understanding KTLO is essential to balance operational stability with the push for innovation.

What does KTLO mean in Agile?

KTLO in Agile refers to the work required to maintain existing systems and services so they continue to function reliably. It includes bug fixes, upgrades, monitoring, and support activities that prevent outages or disruptions.

In other words, KTLO is the “business-as-usual” effort needed to keep systems operational while teams also deliver new business value.

What are examples of KTLO work?

• Fixing production bugs and defects.

• Upgrading libraries, dependencies, or platforms.

• Database maintenance and backups.

• Infrastructure monitoring and scaling.

• Security patching and compliance updates.

• Supporting end-users with technical issues.

Why is KTLO important in Agile?

• System stability: Ensures products remain usable and reliable.

• Customer trust: Prevents outages and enhances satisfaction.

• Security: Keeps vulnerabilities patched and reduces risk.

• Foundation for innovation: Enables teams to build new features on a stable base.

Without KTLO, innovation efforts risk collapsing under unreliable systems.

How much effort should be allocated to KTLO?

There is no fixed percentage, but industry practice shows:

• 25–30% of team capacity often goes into KTLO.

• Mature, stable products may require less, while complex enterprise systems may require more.

• Agile teams use metrics like velocity and burn-down charts to balance KTLO vs new feature work.

How do you manage KTLO in Agile?

• Prioritize KTLO in the backlog: Treat operational work as first-class backlog items.

• Define service-level agreements (SLAs): Set clear expectations for bug fixes and support.

• Automate where possible: Use DevOps, CI/CD, and monitoring tools to reduce manual KTLO.

• Allocate dedicated capacity: Reserve a percentage of each sprint for KTLO tasks.

• Track metrics: Measure effort spent on KTLO versus new development.

KTLO vs Innovation: Finding the balance

Agile thrives when teams deliver value continuously. However, too much KTLO can slow innovation, while too little KTLO creates instability. Best practices include:

• Categorize work into Run (KTLO), Grow, Transform.

• Regularly review how much capacity goes into KTLO.

• Gradually reduce repetitive KTLO work with automation and modernization.

Future of KTLO in Agile environments

With the rise of cloud-native platforms, AI-driven monitoring, and DevOps automation, KTLO is shifting from manual effort to proactive management. For example, AI-powered observability tools can detect and fix issues before users notice them. This trend reduces KTLO load and frees teams for strategic initiatives.

Key Takeaways

• KTLO (Keeping the Lights On) in Agile is the effort to maintain system stability.

• It covers bug fixes, security updates, monitoring, and maintenance.

• Typically, 25–30% of team effort is allocated to KTLO.

• Proper backlog management, automation, and metrics help balance KTLO with innovation.

• Future trends show KTLO becoming more automated and less resource-intensive.

Conclusion

KTLO in Agile ensures your systems stay reliable while you innovate. For digital leaders, balancing KTLO with new feature development is critical to sustaining growth and customer trust.

At Qodequay, we design solutions with operational stability in mind, combining human-centered design with technology that reduces KTLO overhead. This enables teams to focus more on innovation, while “keeping the lights on” with confidence.