Carryovers in sprints are uncompleted tasks or stories from a designated Agile development cycle that move to the next sprint. Due to miscalculations or unforeseen obstacles, carryovers can indicate planning or execution issues. Proper management of carryovers is essential to maintaining project continuity and achieving goals.
Agile developers complete specific tasks, called stories, during a sprint throughout a set period. During the sprint, the team decides which stories they can complete from the product backlog. Carryovers are tasks or stories intended to be completed during a sprint but failed to do so for various reasons. There are several reasons why this could happen, including unforeseen complexities, dependencies, resource limitations, or even inaccurate initial estimations. At the end of a sprint, the stories that still need to be completely developed, tested, and approved are called carryovers. As the name implies, these carryovers are usually moved into the next sprint. Constantly moving tasks from one sprint to another can hamper the team’s velocity and predictability, so analysing why these stories weren’t completed is vital.
The most common reason for carryovers is an inaccurate estimation of a task’s time and effort. Encourage your team to break down tasks into smaller, manageable chunks, making the mission more manageable and more accessible to estimate. Estimation techniques like Planning Poker can help teams develop more accurate estimations. At the beginning of a sprint, prioritising tasks based on their business value and the overall project goals is crucial. Addressing the most critical or high-value tasks is crucial; even if some tasks are carried over, they are not the most vital. Multitasking can lead to inefficiencies and delays in completing tasks. If the team is encouraged to focus on one task at a time and limit the work in progress, carryover risks will likely be reduced. Blockers should be addressed promptly to avoid delays. This may include discussions with stakeholders, requesting assistance from other team members, or even reprioritising work to deal with the issue.
During daily stand-ups or Scrum meetings, team members can discuss what they have accomplished, what they plan to achieve, and any obstacles they may encounter, allowing the Scrum Master or project manager to identify and prevent potential carryovers before they occur. Learning from past sprints is a valuable way to gain insight into what worked and what did not. The purpose of retrospective meetings is to facilitate this type of learning.
The Product Owner is crucial in managing carryovers in Agile development. Here’s how the product owner can contribute effectively. The product owner manages and prioritises the product backlog. They should regularly review and refine the backlog, ensuring the stories are clearly defined, adequately sized, and prioritised based on business value. This can help prevent carryovers caused by unclear or oversized tasks. The product owner should work with the team to set realistic sprint goals. They should respect the team’s capacity and refrain from pushing themselves to include more stories than can fit in a sprint. The product owner should maintain open and transparent communication with the development team and stakeholders. They should ensure the team understands what is expected from each story and be available to answer any queries or clear doubts.
If the team faces any roadblocks during a sprint, the product owner should actively resolve those issues. This might involve communicating with stakeholders, clarifying requirements, or reprioritising tasks. If a story is carried over, the product owner should participate in the discussion to understand why this happened. They should take these learnings into account when planning future sprints. The product owner’s primary goal is to provide a product that delivers value to stakeholders. Sometimes, this might mean accepting carryovers if it allows the team to focus on higher-value tasks. The product owner should make these decisions based on a deep understanding of business needs and team capabilities. Remember, the product owner’s role is not to prevent carryovers at all costs but to ensure that the development process delivers maximum value. Carryovers should be seen as an opportunity to learn and improve rather than something to be avoided at all costs.
Overcommitment is often observed in the context of carryovers. Due to over-optimism or external pressures, teams might take on more work than they can handle. This can lead to unfinished work, which becomes carryovers. Repeating this practice over multiple sprints can build up a significant backlog of carryovers, negatively impacting team performance and morale. Teams might shift unfinished tasks to the next sprint without analysing why they weren’t completed. This can prevent teams from identifying and addressing the underlying issues that lead to carryovers, hampering learning and improvement. Multitasking is another common anti-pattern. Although it might seem that working on several tasks simultaneously would increase productivity, the reality is often the opposite. Spreading team members too thin can result in the tasks needing to be completed efficiently and on time, leading to more carryovers. Furthermore, teams sometimes defer testing or code review until the end of the sprint. Suppose any issues are identified during these late-stage reviews. In that case, there might not be enough time to address them, causing the task to be carried over to the next sprint.
In the pursuit of completing all tasks within a sprint, teams might also fall into the trap of prioritising speed over quality. This can lead to subpar work that incurs technical debt, which can cause further delays and carryovers down the line. Poor communication is another potential pitfall. Misunderstandings about task requirements or progress can lead to delays, resulting in carryovers. Regular, clear communication can keep everyone on the same page and prevent such issues. One of the most damaging anti-patterns is failing to adapt based on retrospective insights. These meetings reflect on what worked well and what didn’t during a sprint. If teams take the learnings from these meetings and make necessary changes, they avoid repeating the same mistakes, leading to more carryovers in future sprints. By recognising and addressing these anti-patterns, teams can improve their processes, reduce carryovers, and become more efficient and effective.
The Scrum Master helps a team manage and address carryovers. As a facilitator and coach, the Scrum Master should create an environment where open and honest discussions about carryovers can take place. The Scrum Master ensures the team does not overcommit during sprint planning. They need to foster a culture where the team feels comfortable pushing back if the scope of a sprint is unrealistic. This begins with guiding the team to make accurate estimations based on past performance, considering the team’s capacity and velocity. The Scrum Master should also be proactive in identifying and removing obstacles. Suppose a team member faces a challenge that is likely to result in a carryover. In that case, the Scrum Master needs to step in and resolve the issue. This might involve facilitating communication with other stakeholders, providing resources, or helping to reprioritise tasks. When carryovers occur, the Scrum Master should ensure they are not simply moved to the next sprint without a thorough discussion. During the sprint retrospective, they should guide the team to reflect on why the carryover occurred, what could have been done differently, and what changes are needed to prevent similar situations in the future. Additionally, the Scrum Master should foster continuous improvement by helping the team apply the insights and lessons learned from dealing with carryovers. This might involve coaching the team on better estimation techniques, promoting effective communication, or advocating for technical practices that improve quality and efficiency. Through these actions, the Scrum Master can help the team minimise carryovers, learn from them when they occur, and continuously improve their processes and performance.
Carryovers represent a crucial analysis point and potential improvement within a development team’s processes. What’s become apparent throughout our conversation is that carryovers are often symptoms of underlying challenges. They may indicate misalignment in understanding the scope of a task or highlight communication breakdowns within the team or with stakeholders. Carryovers might also signal that the team is consistently overcommitting or struggling with specific obstacles that must be addressed.
The Scrum Master is a facilitator, assisting the team in making accurate estimations and maintaining a sustainable pace. They play a crucial role in removing any obstacles the team might face and ensure that carryovers are thoroughly discussed and analysed retrospectively. The development team needs to work on refining their estimation skills, limiting their work in progress, prioritising effectively, and communicating openly about any issues they encounter.
Each carry-over should be seen as a lesson that leads to enhanced practices and better productivity. I shared several anti-patterns to avoid, including overcommitting, Multitasking, deferring testing or review, sacrificing quality for speed, ignoring carryovers, lack of communication, and not adapting based on retrospective insights. These are common traps teams can fall into, leading to increased carryovers and reduced team efficiency. By digging into the root causes of carryovers, teams can uncover valuable insights that lead to more accurate planning, better collaboration, and a more effective and efficient development process.
