IT-07

Delayed Post-Development Validation

Issue Type Distribution

Default severity: medium
Product BacklogMetricsQuality

What it detects

Linked defects were filed long after the source feature or story first entered a pre-release, testing, or Done stage — validation lag indicates testing was deferred well after development was considered complete. Often correlates with obvious bugs discovered in a later sprint.

Detection formula

FOR each_feature F: handoff_date = MIN(status_transition INTO pre_release OR testing OR done) FOR each_bug B linked_to F: lag_days = B.created - handoff_date IF lag_days >= config.it.validation_lag_days // default: 14 THEN FLAG delayed_validation Report: feature, handoff_date, first_bug_date, lag_days, linked_bug_count

Examples in practice

  • A team shows linked defects were filed long after the source feature or story first entered a pre-release, testing, or done stage while validation lag days is set to 14.
  • Example signal: Linked defects were filed long after the source feature or story first entered a pre-release, testing, or Done stage — validation lag indicates testing was deferred well after development was considered complete.

Suggested response

Rebalance issue-type mix and debt trends so quality signals stay intentional.

Coaching playbook

Symptom

Linked defects were filed long after the source feature or story first entered a pre-release, testing, or Done stage — validation lag indicates testing was deferred well after development was considered complete. Often correlates with obvious bugs discovered in a later sprint.

Why it matters

When "Delayed Post-Development Validation" 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

Rebalance issue-type mix and debt trends so quality signals stay intentional.

Facilitation questions

  • What system change would stop "Delayed Post-Development Validation" 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.

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IT-07: Delayed Post-Development Validation — FlowAnalyzer