Why does Sprint Spillover occur?

Scrum Masters, Product Owners, Managers, and Agile practitioners - Does your team deliver all the committed stories consistently? Do you see a trend where every Sprint some stories just don't get done, and they get pushed back to the Backlog?

Spillover is a backlog item that did not meet the Definition of Done (DoD) and that was not accepted. In essence, it is an unfinished story that cannot be delivered and needs to be moved back to the Product Backlog.

The variance between Planned and completed stories happens due to a myriad of causes. Some are avoidable, and some happen no matter how well the team plans and executes. Stories that were committed, but not finished during a sprint make the team lose the opportunity to deliver value. To address Spillover, we must first identify the causes and then rectify them.

Sprint spillovers can occur due to a myriad of causes. Here are seven probable causes that I have seen in many Agile teams:

Let’s dig a little deeper into these 7 areas to understand better and deliberate on resolving the challenges...

1.?????????????????????????? ??????/??????/????: If the Definition of Ready (DOR) is weak, and it can allow Stories to pass from the Product Backlog to the Sprint Backlog and will cause challenges during the Sprint. If the Definition of Done (DOD) is incorrect, the story may be written poorly. If the Acceptance Criteria (AC) is incorrect, then the story may be written/developed/tested incorrectly and may not get accepted by the Product Owner, and cause a spillover. Make sure that the DOR/DOD/AC are clear and precise!

2.???????????????????????????????????? ???? ?????? ???????????? ????????????: If the Stories are not estimated correctly, and the actual effort during the Sprint turns out to be more than planned for, then the story may not get completed during the Sprint. This can be avoided through improvements in estimation practices.

3.?????????????????????????? ???????????????????? ???? ?????? ????????’?? ????????????????: Sprint commitments are based on the predicted Sprint capacity. If this calculation is incorrect due to not taking into account planned absences, holidays, etc., then you may be committing to more than you can deliver and come short. Proper calculation of the Team’s capacity is extremely important. Don’t go into Sprint Planning without it!

4.???????????????????????????????? ????????????????????: It is not atypical to run into challenges during the Sprint. These challenges are incidental, and can never be planned for. Examples are urgent work added, environment issues, technical blockers, unplanned/critical bug fixes, etc. Reserving some capacity buffer, trading stories are some practices that can help avoid spillage

5.?????????????? ???????????????? ?????? ??????????????????: Poor communication, incorrect sequencing of stories, not reviewing Sprint metrics/burndown, poor coordination, inadequate removal of impediments, etc. can cause poor execution, and result in not meeting Sprint commitments. Another cause can be allowing too many concurrent work items in progress. Continuous improvement of practices, attention to flow, and timely identification and remediation of impediments can help

6.?????????????????????????? ???? ?????????????? ???????? ?????? ?????? ??????????: Poorly written stories i.e., stories missing elements of INVEST criteria, missing information, nebulous requirements, etc. can result in scope changes, rework, and bugs. During Sprint Planning, the team can raise questions and reject stories that are not complete. Adhering to high standards of DOR/AC/DOR can help.

7.?????????????????? ???? ?????? ???????? ????????: This is classic, and happens a lot. When teams take on more work than they can finish, they add a huge risk. This typically happens due to poor planning, external pressure, not paying attention to past velocity, incorrect capacity planning, and not assessing Sprint metrics. Don’t do it! Commit to only what you can deliver!

“?????????? ???? ?? ?????? ???? ???? ???? ???????????? — ???????? ????!” ???????????? ??. ????????????

Think about how your team’s experience and performance. Do you deliver consistently? What are the reasons why your team misses delivering committed stories? What are you doing to rectify the challenges? If you need help, please reach out to me. As an experienced Agile Coach, I can help your team!

About the Author:?Toby V Rao is a Washington DC-based agile leader, speaker, and community builder. He is the founder and principal consultant of TORA Solutions, a boutique Agile company. He specializes in developing the capability of individuals, teams, and organizations through coaching and consulting. He is a certified Executive Coach, Agile Coach, Emotional Intelligence Coach, and a certified NLP practitioner.

Toby helps organizations achieve their strategic goals by utilizing modern approaches to drive business agility and deliver tangible business value. He is passionate about helping people, teams, and organizations improve their capabilities through coaching, advising, training, and mentoring. See more details at?www.tobyrao.com