Agile Analytics & KPIs

The agile metrics dashboard that builds itself from your sprints

Velocity, burndown, cycle time, throughput, predictability and capacity — what each agile KPI actually measures, how to read it without fooling yourself, and how Sprint Bridge calculates them automatically from the first sprint.

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Velocity, burndown and core analytics are included free on the Starter tier.

Quick Reference

The agile KPIs that matter, at a glance

Good agile metrics answer a specific question about delivery. Use them to start conversations in planning and retrospectives — not to rank teams or individuals.

Metric	What it measures	The question it answers
Velocity	Story points completed per sprint	How much work does this team typically finish in a sprint?
Burndown / burnup	Work remaining (or completed) over the course of a sprint or release	Are we on track to finish what we committed to?
Cycle time	Time from work starting to work finished	Once we start something, how long does it take?
Lead time	Time from request created to delivered	How long does a customer or stakeholder wait?
Throughput	Number of items finished per period	How many things do we deliver each week?
Sprint predictability	Completed work as a share of committed work	Can stakeholders trust our sprint commitments?
Capacity	Available team time for a sprint, after leave and other work	How much should we commit to this sprint?

How to Read Them

Core agile metrics, explained

The charts below use made-up sample data to show what each metric looks like and what to look for.

Velocity chart

Velocity is the number of story points a team completes in a sprint. A velocity chart plots it sprint by sprint, usually with a rolling average.

How to read it: look at the trend and the spread, not a single sprint. A stable band means planning is reliable; big swings point to estimation drift, unplanned work or changing team membership. Use the average of the last three to five sprints as a starting point for the next commitment.

Watch out for: comparing velocity between teams. Story points are relative to each team, so a higher number doesn't mean a better team.

Velocity — last 6 sprintsIllustrative data

Points completed3-sprint average (41)

Burndown and burnup charts

A burndown chart shows work remaining in the sprint day by day against an ideal straight line to zero. A burnup chart shows work completed rising toward a total-scope line — useful for releases because it makes scope changes visible instead of hiding them.

How to read it: a flat stretch early in the sprint usually means work is in progress but not finished — normal for a day or two, a warning sign if it lasts. A line that sits well above ideal past mid-sprint means the commitment is at risk; that's the moment to renegotiate scope, not the last day.

Watch out for: lines that jump up mid-sprint. That's scope being added, and it deserves a conversation in the retrospective.

Sprint burndown — 10-day sprintIllustrative data

Remaining pointsIdeal

Cycle time, lead time and throughput

Cycle time measures how long an item takes from "in progress" to "done". Lead time starts earlier, when the request is created, so it includes time waiting in the backlog. Throughput counts how many items finish per week or sprint. Together they're the core flow metrics for Kanban teams, and they're just as useful for Scrum teams.

How to read it: on a cycle-time scatter plot, each dot is a finished item. Use a percentile line rather than the average — "85% of items finish within 6 days" is a forecast you can give a stakeholder. Outliers above the line are worth a quick look: blocked work, oversized stories or hand-offs.

Watch out for: rising cycle time with flat throughput. It usually means too much work in progress — tighten WIP limits.

Cycle time scatter — last 30 daysIllustrative data

Completed item85th percentile

Sprint predictability

Predictability compares what a team committed to at sprint planning with what it actually finished — for example, 34 of 40 committed points is 85%. Consistently landing in a steady range matters more than hitting 100%: a team that always finishes everything may be under-committing. Track carry-over stories alongside it so unfinished work isn't silently re-estimated.

Sprint capacity planning

Capacity is the time a team actually has available in a sprint after holidays, leave, support rotations and meetings. Combine it with recent velocity: if a team averages 40 points at full strength and one of five engineers is out for the sprint, planning around 32 points is more honest than repeating last sprint's number.

In Sprint Bridge

40+ KPIs calculated automatically, from the first sprint

No manual reporting and no custom queries. Sprint Bridge calculates its metrics in real time across every team and project, straight from the sprints, boards and stories your team already works in.

Iteration burndown on the Sprint Bridge dashboard comparing actual points remaining with the ideal burndown — **Sprint burndown**Actual points remaining against the ideal line, updated in real time.

Velocity

Velocity tracking & trend analysis

Historical velocity builds automatically from the first sprint, giving teams and leadership a reliable baseline for forecasting and commitment planning.

Burndown

Real-time burndown charts

Live burndown data with predictive trend analysis flags early when a sprint is at risk — giving teams time to act, not just report.

Flow

Cycle time, lead time & throughput

Kanban and Hybrid projects include cumulative flow diagrams, lead time and cycle time analytics, throughput trend analysis and WIP limits per column.

Capacity

Capacity-aware sprint planning

Plan against real capacity with team roster management, skill tracking and availability calendars, plus capacity utilization and workload distribution insights for managers.

Predictability

Sprint health & carry-over tracking

Sprint health indicators surface over-commitment, scope creep and delivery risk scores, while story continuation tracking keeps carry-over work connected across sprint boundaries.

Quality

Quality & testing analytics

Test coverage rates, defect discovery trends, testing velocity, quality gate metrics and defect escape rate give QA leads a clear view of release readiness.

Other metrics in the set include flow efficiency and lead time across teams and portfolios. See the complete list on the features page.

Executive Dashboards

An agile metrics dashboard leadership will actually use

Team-level charts help Scrum Masters run sprints. Leaders need a different view: is delivery healthy across the portfolio, and where should we step in?

Sprint Bridge executive dashboards give leadership a real-time, portfolio-wide view of delivery health, team performance and business metrics without anyone assembling a slide deck. The Initiative → Epic → Feature → Story hierarchy keeps those numbers tied to strategic goals.

Predictive forecasting — projects delivery timelines from historical sprint and velocity data.
Risk early warning — automated detection of over-commitment, scope creep and quality risk.
Team performance insights — workload distribution, capacity utilization and skill allocation.
Financial view — budget variance and, on Business and Enterprise, ASC 350-40 CapEx/OpEx reporting from the same delivery data.

Sprint Bridge Planning Hub with sprint burndown, items needing attention, portfolio roadmap and team capacity — The Planning Hub brings sprint health, the risks that need attention, the portfolio roadmap and team capacity into one view.

Plans

Which plan includes which analytics

Every team gets velocity and burndown for free. Deeper analytics and BI dashboards come with the paid tiers. Full details are on the pricing page.

Capability	Starter Free	Professional $3.99/user/mo	Business $7.99/user/mo	Enterprise Custom
Backlog, velocity & burndown	✓	✓	✓	✓
Core analytics & KPIs	✓	✓	✓	✓
Sprint & Kanban workflows	✓	✓	✓	✓
Hybrid workflow (Sprint + Kanban per project)	—	✓	✓	✓
Advanced analytics & 40+ KPIs	—	✓	✓	✓
Executive dashboards	—	✓	✓	✓
Advanced BI dashboards — 40+ KPIs	—	—	✓	✓
Portfolio & roadmap views	—	—	✓	✓
ASC 350-40 financial reporting	—	—	✓	✓

Professional and Business prices shown per user per month, billed annually ($4.99 and $9.99 billed monthly). Starter is free forever for 1 project and up to 10 users.

Frequently asked questions

Agile metrics, dashboards and how Sprint Bridge calculates them.

What are the most important agile KPIs?

Most teams start with velocity, sprint burndown, cycle time, throughput, sprint predictability and capacity. Together they show how much a team delivers, how fast work flows, and whether commitments are reliable. Add quality metrics such as defect escape rate once the basics are stable.

What is the difference between a burndown chart and a burnup chart?

A burndown chart shows work remaining falling toward zero over a sprint. A burnup chart shows work completed rising toward a separate total-scope line, which makes scope changes visible. Burndown suits a single sprint; burnup is often clearer for releases.

How do you use velocity for sprint capacity planning?

Take the average velocity of the last three to five sprints, then adjust it for the capacity the team actually has this sprint — holidays, leave, support duty and new joiners. Use the result as a guide for the commitment, not a target to hit.

Which agile metrics does Sprint Bridge include for free?

The free Starter tier includes backlog, velocity and burndown tools plus core analytics and KPIs, for 1 project and up to 10 users. Professional adds advanced analytics and 40+ KPIs, and Business adds advanced BI dashboards and portfolio views.

Do I need to configure reports or write queries to get these metrics?

No. Sprint Bridge calculates its KPIs automatically in real time from the moment you create your first sprint, with no manual reporting or custom queries. Velocity history builds up on its own as sprints close.

Should agile metrics be used to compare teams?

Generally not for velocity, because story points are relative to each team. Flow metrics like cycle time and throughput are easier to compare, but the most useful comparison is a team against its own history.

Keep exploring

Metrics from day one

See your velocity and burndown
after the first sprint

Start free on Starter — velocity, burndown and core KPIs included, no credit card and no time limit.