Absence Rates Sprint Capacity Calculator FAQ
Answers to common questions about estimating sprint capacity, absence allowances, team overhead, productive hours, and planning results.
Use these answers to understand the calculator inputs, how the results are calculated, and where an estimate may need adjustment for your team's situation.
General sprint capacity questions
Basic definitions and practical uses of the calculator.
What is sprint capacity?
Sprint capacity is the amount of time a team can realistically allocate to planned delivery work during a sprint. It is commonly expressed in person-days or hours.
What does this absence rates sprint capacity calculator estimate?
It estimates productive sprint capacity after allowing for expected absences and a percentage of routine non-delivery team overhead.
Who should be included as a team member?
Include people expected to contribute delivery work during the sprint. Exclude people who are not planned to provide delivery capacity.
Can I use the calculator for one-week and two-week sprints?
Yes. Enter the normal working days in the particular sprint, whether it is one week, two weeks, or another length.
Inputs and calculation method
How the calculator uses team size, absence rate, hours, and overhead.
How are gross person-days calculated?
Gross person-days equal the number of contributing team members multiplied by the number of sprint working days.
What should I enter for the absence rate?
Use an estimate based on known leave, holidays, sickness patterns, training, and other expected time away. Recent team data can help inform the estimate.
What counts as team overhead?
Team overhead can include planning, reviews, stand-ups, meetings, support, administration, internal communication, and other time not assigned to planned delivery.
Does the calculator remove absences and overhead from the same total?
It removes expected absences from gross capacity first. It then applies the overhead percentage to the remaining available time.
How are productive hours calculated?
Productive hours equal productive person-days multiplied by the work hours per person per day that you enter.
Accuracy and assumptions
Factors that can make actual capacity differ from the estimate.
Is sprint capacity a guarantee of completed work?
No. It is a planning estimate of available delivery time. Scope changes, dependencies, rework, incidents, and work complexity can affect completed work.
Should planned leave be included in the absence rate?
Yes, it can be included for a quick estimate. Where individual calendars are known, separately accounting for exact leave may provide a more detailed plan.
What if team members work different schedules?
The calculator assumes the same daily hours for all team members. A separate calculation by person or schedule may be more suitable when working patterns differ materially.
Why might actual availability be lower than the result?
Unplanned absence, urgent support work, additional meetings, blocked work, and changing priorities can reduce time available for delivery.
Using the results in planning
How to interpret person-days, hours, and availability without overextending the estimate.
What is the primary result to use for sprint planning?
Estimated productive person-days are the main result because they represent delivery-focused capacity after both allowances.
What does usable team availability mean?
It is the percentage of gross scheduled capacity expected to remain for delivery work after absences and overhead are removed.
Can I convert productive hours directly to story points?
No universal conversion exists. Story points are relative and team-specific, so historical delivery patterns are more useful than a fixed hours-to-points rule.
Should I round the result?
Rounding can make planning easier, but retaining a small buffer can help avoid treating an estimate as fully committed delivery time.
What is sprint capacity?
Sprint capacity is the amount of time a team can realistically allocate to planned delivery work during a sprint. It is commonly expressed in person-days or hours.
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