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Measuring Sprint Health
Sprint metrics help teams understand their performance and identify improvement opportunities. The key is measuring the right things—metrics that drive better outcomes, not vanity metrics that look good but don't matter.
Sprint Metrics
| Metric | Purpose | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Velocity | Predictability | Consistent |
| Goal achievement | Focus | 80%+ |
| Commitment accuracy | Planning | 90%+ |
| Carryover | Follow-through | <10% |
Velocity
Understanding Velocity
VELOCITY TRACKING
═════════════════
WHAT IS VELOCITY:
─────────────────────────────────────
Definition:
├── Points completed per sprint
├── Historical average
├── Used for planning
├── Team-specific
├── Not comparable across teams
└── Predictability measure
Example:
├── Sprint 23: 32 points
├── Sprint 24: 28 points
├── Sprint 25: 35 points
├── Sprint 26: 30 points
├── Average: 31 points
├── Next sprint plan: ~31 points
└── Predictable capacity
VELOCITY CHART:
─────────────────────────────────────
│40
│35 █
│30 █ █ █
│28 █
│20
│10
│ 0
└──────────────────
S23 S24 S25 S26
WHAT VELOCITY TELLS YOU:
─────────────────────────────────────
Stable velocity:
├── Good planning
├── Predictable delivery
├── Sustainable pace
└── Healthy team
Declining velocity:
├── Team issues?
├── Process problems?
├── Technical debt?
├── Investigate cause
└── Don't just push harder
Variable velocity:
├── Estimation inconsistent?
├── Too much unplanned work?
├── Team composition changes?
├── Improve estimation
└── Reduce variability
MISUSING VELOCITY:
─────────────────────────────────────
Don't use velocity to:
├── Compare teams
├── Judge individuals
├── Set targets
├── Gamification
├── Pressure to increase
└── These break trust
Sprint Goal Achievement
Focus Metric
SPRINT GOAL ACHIEVEMENT
═══════════════════════
TRACKING GOAL SUCCESS:
─────────────────────────────────────
Each sprint:
├── Did we achieve the goal?
├── Yes/No/Partial
├── What prevented full achievement?
├── Track over time
└── Focus indicator
Goal Achievement Rate:
├── Last 6 sprints: 5/6 = 83%
├── Target: 80%+
├── Below 70%: Problem
└── Improvement focus
WHAT IT TELLS YOU:
─────────────────────────────────────
High achievement (>80%):
├── Good planning
├── Clear goals
├── Focused execution
├── Team aligned
└── Healthy sprint process
Low achievement (<70%):
├── Unclear goals?
├── Overcommitment?
├── Too many interruptions?
├── Poor estimation?
├── Goals too ambitious?
└── Investigate and improve
IMPROVING ACHIEVEMENT:
─────────────────────────────────────
If goals missed:
├── Make goals smaller
├── Protect sprint scope
├── Improve estimation
├── Reduce unplanned work
├── Better backlog refinement
└── Retro discussion topic
Burndown Charts
Visual Progress
BURNDOWN ANALYSIS
═════════════════
HEALTHY BURNDOWN:
─────────────────────────────────────
│40 ■
│35 ■
│30 ■
│25 ■
│20 ■
│15 ■
│10 ■
│ 5 ■
│ 0 ■
└──────────────────────
D1 D2 D3 D4 D5 D6 D7 D8 D9
Characteristics:
├── Steady decline
├── Work completing daily
├── On track to finish
├── No major spikes
└── Predictable progress
CONCERNING PATTERNS:
─────────────────────────────────────
Flat start:
│40 ■ ■ ■ ■
│35 ■
│30 ■ ■
...
Cause: Work too large, blocked, or
not started early
Late spike up:
│20 ■
│25 ■
│20 ■
Cause: Scope added mid-sprint
Cliff at end:
│30 ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
│ 0 ■
Cause: All work finished last day,
testing done at end
USING BURNDOWN:
─────────────────────────────────────
Daily standup:
├── Look at burndown
├── Are we on track?
├── If not, what's happening?
├── Adjust if needed
├── Early warning system
└── Visual management
Commitment Accuracy
Planning Quality
COMMITMENT ACCURACY
═══════════════════
MEASURING ACCURACY:
─────────────────────────────────────
Formula:
Accuracy = Completed Points / Committed Points × 100%
Example:
├── Committed: 30 points
├── Completed: 27 points
├── Accuracy: 90%
└── Good result
TRACKING OVER TIME:
─────────────────────────────────────
Sprint 23: 32/35 = 91%
Sprint 24: 28/30 = 93%
Sprint 25: 35/40 = 87%
Sprint 26: 30/32 = 94%
Average: 91%
WHAT IT TELLS YOU:
─────────────────────────────────────
High accuracy (90%+):
├── Good estimation
├── Right commitment level
├── Predictable delivery
├── Trust in commitments
└── Healthy planning
Low accuracy (<80%):
├── Overcommitting
├── Poor estimation
├── Too many surprises
├── Scope changes
├── Need improvement
└── Retro topic
IMPROVING ACCURACY:
─────────────────────────────────────
If consistently low:
├── Commit to less
├── Improve estimation
├── Better refinement
├── Account for capacity
├── Leave buffer
└── Under-promise, over-deliver
Carryover
Completion Rate
CARRYOVER TRACKING
══════════════════
WHAT IS CARRYOVER:
─────────────────────────────────────
Items not completed that move to next sprint.
Carryover rate:
├── Sprint items: 10
├── Completed: 9
├── Carried over: 1
├── Carryover rate: 10%
└── Acceptable
HEALTHY CARRYOVER:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── <10%: Healthy
├── 10-20%: Concerning
├── >20%: Problem
└── Trend matters more
CARRYOVER CAUSES:
─────────────────────────────────────
Common reasons:
├── Items too large
├── Blockers discovered
├── Scope creep
├── Estimation off
├── Capacity issues
├── Priorities changed
└── Investigate patterns
REDUCING CARRYOVER:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Smaller items
├── Better refinement
├── Start work earlier
├── Swarm on at-risk items
├── Protect sprint scope
├── Don't overcommit
└── Continuous improvement
Team Health
Beyond Numbers
TEAM HEALTH INDICATORS
══════════════════════
TEAM HAPPINESS:
─────────────────────────────────────
Regular check-ins:
├── Sprint retro mood
├── Periodic surveys
├── 1:1 conversations
├── Team morale indicators
├── Burnout signs
└── People matter most
Simple survey:
"Rate your satisfaction this sprint (1-5)"
├── Track over time
├── Investigate drops
├── Celebrate improvements
└── Team voice
SUSTAINABLE PACE:
─────────────────────────────────────
Watch for:
├── Consistent overtime
├── Weekend work
├── Vacation avoided
├── Stressed communication
├── Quality declining
├── Burnout approaching
└── Pace must be sustainable
COLLABORATION INDICATORS:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── PR review speed
├── Helping each other
├── Knowledge sharing
├── Pairing frequency
├── Team cohesion
└── Teamwork visible
GitScrum Metrics
Features
GITSCRUM SPRINT METRICS
═══════════════════════
VELOCITY TRACKING:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Automatic velocity calculation
├── Velocity trend chart
├── Sprint comparison
├── Planning guidance
└── Data-driven
BURNDOWN:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Real-time burndown
├── Ideal vs actual
├── Daily updates
├── Sprint health at a glance
└── Visual management
COMMITMENT TRACKING:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Committed vs completed
├── Carryover tracking
├── Accuracy over time
├── Planning improvement
└── Historical data
REPORTS:
─────────────────────────────────────
├── Sprint summary
├── Velocity report
├── Cycle time analysis
├── Team workload
├── Custom metrics
└── Insights for improvement
Best Practices
For Sprint Metrics
- Focus on trends — Not absolute numbers
- Team-level only — Never individual
- Use for learning — Not punishment
- Include team health — Beyond velocity
- Retro discussion — Metrics inform, team interprets
Anti-Patterns
SPRINT METRICS MISTAKES:
✗ Individual velocity
✗ Cross-team comparison
✗ Velocity as target
✗ Metrics without context
✗ Ignoring team health
✗ Gaming metrics
✗ Punishment for low numbers
✗ Metrics without action