CH-08
Estimation Changed In Active Sprint
Content & History
Default severity: medium
Product BacklogProcessQuality
What it detects
Story points were modified after the sprint containing this issue had already started, beyond the configured grace period. sprint_start = sprint.start_date grace_end = sprint_start + config.sprint.estimation_lock_hours // default: 24h sp_changes_post_lock = changelog.filter(field=\'story_points\', date > grace_end, sprint=current)
Detection formula
IF COUNT(sp_changes_post_lock) >= 1 THEN FLAG IF new_sp > original_sp * config.content.estimation_increase_critical_ratio // default: 2x THEN CRITICALExamples in practice
- A team shows story points were modified after the sprint containing this issue had already started, beyond the configured grace period while estimation increase critical ratio is set to 2x.
- Example signal: Story points were modified after the sprint containing this issue had already started, beyond the configured grace period.
Suggested response
Protect narrative quality: write items before work starts and avoid late or empty edits.
Coaching playbook
Symptom
Story points were modified after the sprint containing this issue had already started, beyond the configured grace period. sprint_start = sprint.start_date grace_end = sprint_start + config.sprint.estimation_lock_hours // default: 24h sp_changes_post_lock = changelog.filter(field=\'story_points\', date > grace_end, sprint=current)
Why it matters
When "Estimation Changed In Active Sprint" keeps appearing, the team is signalling a repeatable process gap. Left unexamined, the pattern hides where work really stalls and makes improvement metrics harder to trust.
What you can achieve
Protect narrative quality: write items before work starts and avoid late or empty edits.
Facilitation questions
- What system change would stop "Estimation Changed In Active Sprint" from firing again?
- What do the cited issues have in common — same root cause or same workaround?
- Who owns the two-week experiment and how will we verify on the next import?
Run this rule against your own tracker data with Flow Analyzer.