SA-05
Unplanned Work Ratio Exceeding Threshold
Sprint Anomalies
Default severity: medium
ProcessMetricsQuality
What it detects
The proportion of completed sprint work that was not in the sprint at the start (added mid-sprint and completed same sprint) exceeds the configured threshold — the team\'s sprint planning is not predicting their actual work. Combines injection + same-sprint completion. unplanned_done = issues WHERE resolved IN sprint S AND sprint_add_date > sprint.start + config.sc.sprint_scope_lock_hours
Detection formula
IF COUNT(unplanned_done) / COUNT(all_done_in_S) > config.sa.unplanned_work_threshold // default: 0.20 THEN FLAG high_unplanned_work Report: unplanned_sp, unplanned_issue_count, unplanned_bv — compare to committed totalsExamples in practice
- A team shows the proportion of completed sprint work that was not in the sprint at the start (added mid-sprint and completed same sprint) exceeds the configured threshold while unplanned work threshold is set to 0.20.
- Example signal: The proportion of completed sprint work that was not in the sprint at the start (added mid-sprint and completed same sprint) exceeds the configured threshold — the team\'s sprint planning is not predicting their actual work.
Suggested response
Keep sprint boundaries honest—resolve, replan, or flag anomalies instead of hiding them.
Coaching playbook
Symptom
The proportion of completed sprint work that was not in the sprint at the start (added mid-sprint and completed same sprint) exceeds the configured threshold — the team\'s sprint planning is not predicting their actual work. Combines injection + same-sprint completion. unplanned_done = issues WHERE resolved IN sprint S AND sprint_add_date > sprint.start + config.sc.sprint_scope_lock_hours
Why it matters
When "Unplanned Work Ratio Exceeding Threshold" 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
Keep sprint boundaries honest—resolve, replan, or flag anomalies instead of hiding them.
Facilitation questions
- What system change would stop "Unplanned Work Ratio Exceeding Threshold" 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.