ES-03
Missing Estimates
Estimation
Default severity: high
EstimationMetricsQualityEffort
What it detects
More than the configured percentage of issues of the configured types have no original estimate set.
Detection formula
IF COUNT(issues WHERE original_estimate IS NULL AND type IN config.estimation.required_estimate_types) / total_in_scope > config.estimation.missing_estimate_threshold // default: 30% THEN FLAGExamples in practice
- Estimates, time logged, and actual effort no longer align for a meaningful share of items.
- The team commits to sizes that are not supported by historical spend patterns.
- A team shows more than the configured percentage of issues of the configured types have no original estimate set while required estimate types is set to 30%.
Suggested response
Align estimation and logging practices so size, time spent, and scope changes remain comparable.
Coaching playbook
Symptom
More than the configured percentage of issues of the configured types have no original estimate set.
Why it matters
When "Missing Estimates" 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
Align estimation and logging practices so size, time spent, and scope changes remain comparable.
Facilitation questions
- What system change would stop "Missing Estimates" 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.