SG-01
Worklog Signal — Long Idle Period During Active Status
Signal Chart
Default severity: medium
ProcessMetricsQualityEffort
What it detects
An issue in an active status has a gap in worklog entries longer than the configured idle threshold — the issue was technically in progress but no work was logged for an extended period. The signal chart plots daily logged hours as a bar chart per issue, making idle gaps visually obvious. worklog_entries = worklog.filter(issue=I).sort(date)
Detection formula
FOR each_consecutive_pair (W1, W2) IN worklog_entries: gap = W2.date - W1.date IF gap > config.sg.idle_gap_warning_days // default: 5 business days THEN FLAG idle_gap IF gap > config.sg.idle_gap_critical_days // default: 10 business days THEN CRITICAL Report: signal chart (daily hours bar chart) with idle periods highlighted in redExamples in practice
- A team shows an issue in an active status has a gap in worklog entries longer than the configured idle threshold while idle gap warning days is set to 5 business days.
- Example signal: An issue in an active status has a gap in worklog entries longer than the configured idle threshold — the issue was technically in progress but no work was logged for an extended period.
Suggested response
Use worklog shape (gaps, bursts, handoffs) to coach sustainable pacing and clarity.
Coaching playbook
Symptom
An issue in an active status has a gap in worklog entries longer than the configured idle threshold — the issue was technically in progress but no work was logged for an extended period. The signal chart plots daily logged hours as a bar chart per issue, making idle gaps visually obvious. worklog_entries = worklog.filter(issue=I).sort(date)
Why it matters
When "Worklog Signal — Long Idle Period During Active Status" 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
Use worklog shape (gaps, bursts, handoffs) to coach sustainable pacing and clarity.
Facilitation questions
- What system change would stop "Worklog Signal — Long Idle Period During Active Status" 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.