FI-07
High Simultaneous Flag Rate
Flags
Default severity: medium
ProcessOutputRisk
What it detects
The number of flags raised in a sprint exceeds the configured threshold — the sprint is experiencing too many impediments. High flag rates indicate poor sprint planning (dependencies not resolved before sprint), systemic environment problems, or a team that is over-committing on items with unresolved prerequisites. flags_this_sprint = changelog.filter(field=\'flagged\', new=\'Impediment\', date BETWEEN sprint.start AND sprint.end) flag_rate = COUNT(flags_this_sprint) / COUNT(committed_issues_in_sprint)
Detection formula
IF flag_rate > config.fi.high_flag_rate_threshold // default: 0.30 (30% of sprint issues flagged) THEN FLAG excessive_flag_rate IF flag_rate > config.fi.critical_flag_rate // default: 0.50 (half the sprint blocked) THEN CRITICAL — sprint is in crisis Track flag_rate as time series across sprints to detect deterioration trendExamples in practice
- A team shows the number of flags raised in a sprint exceeds the configured threshold while high flag rate threshold is set to 0.30 (30% of sprint issues flagged).
- Example signal: The number of flags raised in a sprint exceeds the configured threshold — the sprint is experiencing too many impediments.
Suggested response
Close the loop on flags—link blockers, set owners, and clear impediments with traceability.
Coaching playbook
Symptom
The number of flags raised in a sprint exceeds the configured threshold — the sprint is experiencing too many impediments. High flag rates indicate poor sprint planning (dependencies not resolved before sprint), systemic environment problems, or a team that is over-committing on items with unresolved prerequisites. flags_this_sprint = changelog.filter(field=\'flagged\', new=\'Impediment\', date BETWEEN sprint.start AND sprint.end) flag_rate = COUNT(flags_this_sprint) / COUNT(committed_issues_in_sprint)
Why it matters
When "High Simultaneous Flag Rate" 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
Close the loop on flags—link blockers, set owners, and clear impediments with traceability.
Facilitation questions
- What system change would stop "High Simultaneous Flag Rate" 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.