absences during Sprint

7.10 Capacity Planning

Public Holidays Non-working days Meetings Time spent in Scrum events and discussions Support Activities Bug fixing or production support work Team Velocity Historical Sprint performance

How Capacity Planning Works

Step 1: Determine Sprint Duration

The Scrum Team identifies the total number of working days in the Sprint.

Example

• 2-week Sprint
• 10 working days

Step 2: Calculate Team Availability

Determine how many team members are available during the Sprint.

Example

• 5 Developers
• Each works 8 hours daily

Total Raw Capacity

5 × 10 × 8 = 400 hours

Step 3: Subtract Non-Development Time

Subtract time spent on:

• Meetings
• Training
• Support work
• Administrative activities

Example

• Meetings → 40 hours
• Support work → 20 hours

Available Capacity:

400 − 60 = 340 hours

Step 4: Adjust for Leave and Holidays

Reduce capacity for planned absences.

Example

• One Developer on leave for 2 days
• Capacity reduction = 16 hours

Final Capacity:

340 − 16 = 324 hours

Step 5: Plan Sprint Work

The team selects Sprint Backlog items based on available capacity.

Capacity Planning Using Story Points

Many Scrum Teams use historical velocity instead of exact hours.

Example

Previous Sprint Velocities:

• Sprint 1 → 30 Story Points
• Sprint 2 → 32 Story Points
• Sprint 3 → 28 Story Points

Average Velocity:

• 30 Story Points

If team capacity is reduced due to leave, the team may commit to:

• 24–26 Story Points instead of 30

Capacity Planning vs Velocity

Aspect	Capacity Planning	Velocity
Focus	Available team capacity	Past team performance
Measurement	Hours, days, or availability	Story Points completed
Purpose	Determine realistic workload	Forecast future delivery
Timeframe	Current Sprint	Historical Sprint data

Benefits of Capacity Planning

Benefit	Description
Improved Sprint Predictability	More realistic Sprint commitments
Reduced Overcommitment	Avoids excessive workload
Better Workload Balance	Supports healthy team productivity
Improved Sprint Success	Higher Sprint Goal achievement rate
Better Resource Utilization	Uses team availability effectively
Reduced Burnout	Prevents excessive pressure on team

Role of Product Owner in Capacity Planning

The Product Owner:

• Prioritizes Product Backlog items
• Clarifies business priorities
• Supports realistic Sprint commitments

Role of Developers in Capacity Planning

Developers:

• Estimate work effort
• Identify technical complexity
• Provide availability information
• Select achievable Sprint work

Role of Scrum Master in Capacity Planning

The Scrum Master:

• Facilitates Sprint Planning
• Helps maintain realistic commitments
• Supports transparency
• Encourages sustainable workload management

Capacity Planning in Sprint Planning

Capacity Planning is usually performed during Sprint Planning before finalizing:

• Sprint Backlog
• Sprint Goal
• Sprint commitments

This ensures the selected work matches available team capacity.

Common Challenges in Capacity Planning

Challenge	Description
Overcommitment	Taking too much work
Ignoring Non-Development Work	Not accounting for meetings or support
Unplanned Work	Unexpected production issues
Inaccurate Estimation	Poor effort prediction
Changing Team Availability	Unexpected leaves or absences

Best Practices for Effective Capacity Planning

• Use historical velocity as reference
• Include non-development activities
• Account for leaves and holidays
• Keep Sprint commitments realistic
• Review capacity every Sprint
• Maintain sustainable workload

Common Mistakes in Capacity Planning

• Ignoring meetings and support work
• Assuming 100% productivity
• Overcommitting Sprint work
• Ignoring team availability changes
• Using unrealistic velocity expectations

Capacity Planning Tools

Teams may use:

• Jira
• Azure DevOps
• Trello
• Excel sheets
• Sprint planning boards

Real-Life Example

Example:

A Scrum Team has:

• 6 Developers
• 2-week Sprint
• One public holiday
• One Developer on leave for 3 days

After calculating available capacity and reviewing previous velocity, the team decides to commit to:

• 26 Story Points instead of the normal 32 Story Points

This helps the team maintain realistic Sprint commitments.

Importance of Capacity Planning in Agile

Capacity Planning is important because it:

• Improves Sprint reliability
• Supports realistic planning
• Protects team sustainability
• Improves delivery predictability
• Reduces Sprint failures

Conclusion

Capacity Planning is a critical Agile and Scrum practice that helps teams determine how much work they can realistically complete during a Sprint.

By balancing workload with actual team availability, Capacity Planning improves Sprint success, team productivity, predictability, and sustainable Agile delivery.