Balancing bug fixes and new features in sprint planning is tricky. Prioritize high-impact bugs that affect user experience and critical functionality, but ensure you allocate time for feature development to keep the product moving forward. A 70-30 split between features and fixes often works, but adjust based on urgency.

One way it would be helpful is to allocate some capacity of the team as a buffer for bug fixing and Tech debts, so that it will not impact Sprint commitments .

Regarding sprint planning, the first step should be tackling any bugs head-on. Bugs can be unpredictable, often requiring significant time to investigate and resolve. Fixing a bug can take a few minutes to several days, disrupting the entire team's rhythm. This unpredictability creates uncertainty in the workflow, impacting efficiency and accuracy. A clean codebase, free of bugs, brings clarity and predictability. Eliminating these issues first makes it much easier to estimate the time needed for developing new features. Prioritizing bug fixes enhances the current project and sets up a smoother development process for the future.