Absence Rates Sprint Capacity Formula
Learn how annual team capacity and average sprint hours are estimated after allowing for an expected absence rate.
This formula estimates the planned work hours a team can deliver in a year after expected unplanned absence is deducted. It also converts the annual estimate into an average capacity per sprint, helping teams set a more realistic planning baseline.
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Annual Available Team Capacity
Where:
Calculate the team’s scheduled annual hours, then reduce that total by the percentage of time expected to be lost to absence.
Variables Explained
| Variable | What It Means | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| teamSize - Team size | Number of people included in the capacity estimate. | people |
| workingDaysPerPerson - Working days per person per year | Scheduled annual workdays for each person after any planned time already excluded from the plan. | days |
| hoursPerDay - Productive hours per working day | Average daily hours available for planned delivery work. | hours |
| absenceRate - Expected absence rate | Percentage of scheduled time expected to be unavailable because of unplanned absence. | percent |
| sprintLengthWeeks - Sprint length | Length of one sprint used to calculate the average sprint capacity. | weeks |
Step-by-Step Calculation
Calculate annual planned hours
Multiply the number of people by each person’s scheduled workdays and productive hours per day.
annualPlannedHours = teamSize * workingDaysPerPerson * hoursPerDay
Calculate expected absence hours
Apply the expected absence percentage to planned annual team hours.
absenceHours = annualPlannedHours * absenceRate / 100
Calculate annual available capacity
Subtract expected absence hours from planned annual capacity.
annualAvailableHours = annualPlannedHours - absenceHours
Estimate sprints per year
Divide annual working days by the number of weekdays in each sprint. This uses a five-day workweek.
sprintsPerYear = workingDaysPerPerson / (sprintLengthWeeks * 5)
Calculate average sprint capacity
Divide the available annual hours by the estimated number of sprints.
averageSprintCapacity = annualAvailableHours / sprintsPerYear
Example: Eight-person team with 5% expected absence
Annual planned hours
8 × 230 × 7.5
13,800 hours
Expected absence hours
13,800 × 5 ÷ 100
690 hours
Annual available capacity
13,800 − 690
13,110 hours
Estimated sprints per year
230 ÷ (2 × 5)
23 sprints
Average sprint capacity
13,110 ÷ 23
570 hours per sprint
Final Result
Estimated available capacity is 13,110 hours per year, or approximately 570 hours per two-week sprint.
Assumptions
- ✓The entered absence rate applies evenly across the team over the year.
- ✓Working days per person already exclude planned holidays or annual leave if those are not intended to be part of capacity.
- ✓Productive hours per day represent time available for planned delivery, rather than total paid time.
- ✓A working week has five working days for the sprint calculation.
Limitations
- !Actual absence can cluster in particular sprints rather than being evenly spread through the year.
- !The calculation does not model skills, role coverage, onboarding, turnover, dependencies, or work bottlenecks.
- !Meetings, training, support work, and other non-delivery work are only reflected if included in the productive-hours input.
- !Public holidays and different working patterns can affect the actual number of sprints and available hours.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Entering annual leave in both working days and the absence rate, which can reduce capacity twice.
Using paid hours instead of productive hours without allowing for recurring meetings, administration, or support duties.
Treating the average sprint result as a guarantee for every individual sprint.
Using calendar days rather than scheduled working days per person.
Forgetting that a two-week sprint is assumed to contain 10 working days in this calculation.
Related Formulas
Frequently Asked Questions
How is annual team capacity after absence calculated?
Multiply team size, annual working days, and productive daily hours, then reduce the result by the absence rate.
How do you calculate absence hours?
Multiply annual planned team hours by the expected absence rate divided by 100.
How is average sprint capacity calculated?
Annual available hours are divided by estimated sprints per year. Estimated sprints equal annual working days divided by sprint length in weeks times five.
Why can annual leave be excluded from the absence rate?
Annual leave is usually planned time away. If it has already been removed from working days per person, including it again in the absence rate would double count it.
Does a 5% absence rate mean every sprint loses exactly 5% of capacity?
No. It is an annual planning allowance. Individual sprints may have more or less absence than the average.
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