Load and Capacity Reports

Load and capacity reports provide snapshot and forward-looking views of workload distribution across team members. Use these reports to balance work assignments, validate sprint commitments, track estimation accuracy, and analyze effort patterns.

Understanding Load and Capacity

Load is the sum of work done (if applicable) and remaining to-do. It represents the total workload a member or team is carrying. Load reports help answer:

• Is work evenly distributed across team members?
• Are team members over or under-committed?
• How accurate were our original estimates?
• How much effort was actually logged?

Unlike trend reports that show patterns over time, load reports focus on current state and near-term commitments, making them essential for sprint planning and daily workload management.

Available Reports

Current Member Load Report

Shows the total effort reported and remaining to-do for each team member in any active sprints.

Best for:

• Daily workload balancing
• Identifying overloaded team members
• Sprint standup discussions
• Real-time capacity management

What it shows:

• Bar chart comparing workload across team members
• Effort completed vs remaining to-do for each member
• Relative workload allowing peer comparison
• Filtered by member group for focused analysis

Use this report when you need to:

• Identify which team members have capacity for additional work
• Redistribute work during sprint to balance load
• See how much work each member has relative to their peers
• Make real-time sprint adjustments

Key insight: This report focuses on active sprints only, providing a current snapshot rather than historical data. It's ideal for answering "Who can take on more work right now?"

Allocate by Owner: When checked, distributes to-do across each owner when more than one person owns an item. This applies to teams using a mix of single and multi-owner items (tasks, tests, or stories) and evenly distributes to-do across each owner.

Load by Sprint or Iteration Report

Shows the amount of load for each team member during the sprint schedule, including forward-looking and historical views.

Best for:

• Sprint-by-sprint capacity planning
• Multi-sprint workload visualization
• Identifying capacity patterns across sprints
• Planning future sprint commitments

What it shows:

• Grid format showing load per member per sprint
• Work done + remaining to-do for each cell
• Configurable to show closed items
• Forward-looking by default (can include historical sprints)

Use this report when you need to:

• Plan workload distribution for upcoming sprints
• Compare individual capacity across multiple sprints
• Identify patterns in member workload over time
• See capacity availability sprint-by-sprint

Key insight: This report extends beyond the current sprint to show the sprint schedule, making it valuable for multi-sprint planning. The grid format makes it easy to compare how load distributes across both members and time.

Allocate by Owner: When checked, segments report data by owner. Typically applies to teams using a mix of single and multi-owner items and evenly distributes to-do across each owner.

Estimation Accuracy Report

Calculates detail estimate or load to show accuracy of estimates by team member during a sprint or iteration schedule.

Best for:

• Improving estimation practices
• Identifying consistent over/under-estimators
• Retrospective discussions about estimation
• Coaching team members on estimation

What it shows:

• Comparison of original estimates vs actual load (done + to-do)
• Accuracy percentage or variance by member
• Grid format showing detail estimate vs load
• Forward-looking by default (can include historical sprints)

Use this report when you need to:

• Review estimation accuracy in retrospectives
• Identify which members need estimation coaching
• Understand if team consistently over or under-estimates
• Validate process changes intended to improve estimation

Key insight: Load is the sum of work done and remaining to-do. By comparing this to the original detail estimate, you see how accurate initial estimates were. This report works best for planning and progress tracking when used consistently.

Allocate by Owner: When checked, distributes to-do across each owner when more than one person owns an item. Typically applies to teams using a mix of single and multi-owner items and evenly distributes to-do across each owner.

Member Actuals Report

Shows the total effort (work members have entered in any done field) entered in a project during a specific period of time.

Best for:

• Time tracking and timesheet validation
• Project billing and cost tracking
• Utilization analysis
• Compliance reporting

What it shows:

• Total effort logged by member over selected period
• Sorted by day, week, or month
• Totaled for entire member group
• Open and closed effort for the project

Use this report when you need to:

• Verify timesheets are complete
• Calculate project costs based on actual effort
• Track utilization rates by member or group
• Generate data for billing or compliance needs

Key insight: This report requires effort tracking to be enabled. Totals are calculated based on open and closed effort logged for the project (and child projects), regardless of sprint. Effort is counted from the day the task was set to done, not any other period.

Important calculation notes:

• Includes effort for all child projects (unless "Single Level Project View" is selected)
• Effort logged during selected period only (if you select duration in days, total effort is counted from the day the task was set to done)
• Includes both open and closed effort

Choosing the Right Load Report

Report	View Type	Best For	Primary Users	Update Frequency
Current Member Load	Current snapshot	Active sprint workload balancing	Scrum Masters, Team Leads	Daily during sprint
Load by Sprint	Multi-sprint grid	Future sprint planning, capacity patterns	Scrum Masters, Planners	Sprint planning sessions
Estimation Accuracy	Estimate vs actual	Improving estimation, retrospectives	Teams, Coaches	Sprint retrospectives
Member Actuals	Effort logged	Timesheet validation, billing	Managers, PMO, Finance	Weekly or monthly

Accessing Load and Capacity Reports

From All Reports:

1. Click the hamburger menu → Reports → All Reports
2. Scroll to the Member and Team Tracking Reports section
3. Click the specific load report you need

All reports accessible from: Member and Team Tracking Reports section in All Reports

Common Report Filters and Parameters

Member Group

Shows data for active members in the selected member group only. When a member is added or removed, both current and historical values change.

Available in: All load and capacity reports

Show Closed Items

Select this checkbox to show closed items within the report grid.

Available in: Load by Sprint, Estimation Accuracy

Allocate by Owner

Segments report data by owner. When checked, distributes to-do across each owner when more than one person owns an item.

Available in: Current Member Load, Load by Sprint, Estimation Accuracy

Use when: Teams use a mix of single and multi-owner items (tasks, tests, or stories). This filter evenly distributes to-do across each owner for accurate individual capacity views.

Start Date and Duration (Member Actuals only)

Start Date: The first date the report begins calculating data.

• Project-based reports: Default is project start date
• Sprint/iteration-based reports: Default is sprint/iteration start date
• Member-based reports: Default is 13 weeks prior to current date
• If start date is set to current date or later, no data displays

Duration: The number of days, weeks, or months to display.

• Project-based reports: Default is weeks from project start to today
• Sprint/iteration-based reports: Default is number of days in the sprint/iteration
• Member-based reports: Default is 13 weeks
• Report ends at current date, so if selected start date and duration extend past current date, no data displays after current date

Prerequisites

Effort Tracking Requirement

Member Actuals Report: Requires effort tracking to be enabled globally.

To enable effort tracking:

1. Click Admin icon → System → Configuration
2. Verify that effort tracking is enabled for the project

Allocate by Owner

When using the "Allocate by Owner" filter:

• Works best with teams using mix of single and multi-owner items
• Evenly distributes to-do across owners
• Provides more accurate individual capacity views

Using Load and Capacity Reports Effectively

For Sprint Planning

Before Sprint Planning:

1. Review Load by Sprint for upcoming sprints to assess available capacity
2. Check Estimation Accuracy from previous sprint to adjust planning approach
3. Examine Member Actuals to understand recent utilization patterns

During Sprint Planning:

1. Use Load by Sprint to distribute work evenly across team members
2. Reference historical estimation accuracy when discussing new estimates
3. Consider recent actuals when setting commitments

After Sprint Planning:

1. Validate that Load by Sprint shows balanced distribution
2. Document estimation accuracy baseline for future retrospective

For Sprint Execution

Daily Standups:

1. Review Current Member Load to identify imbalances
2. Redistribute work if any member is clearly overloaded
3. Identify team members with capacity for additional work

Mid-Sprint Adjustments:

1. Use Current Member Load to guide work redistribution
2. Check Load by Sprint to assess impact on future sprints
3. Update assignments to maintain balance

For Retrospectives

Estimation Discussion:

1. Review Estimation Accuracy Report for the sprint
2. Identify patterns in over/under-estimation
3. Discuss factors that affected accuracy
4. Agree on estimation improvements

Capacity Discussion:

1. Compare Current Member Load snapshots throughout sprint
2. Assess whether load remained balanced or shifted
3. Review Member Actuals to validate effort logging compliance

For Resource Management

Weekly Reviews:

1. Check Current Member Load across all active projects
2. Review Member Actuals to ensure timesheet compliance
3. Identify shared resources showing high load in multiple projects

Monthly Analysis:

1. Analyze Member Actuals trends for utilization patterns
2. Review Estimation Accuracy to track improvement over time
3. Use Load by Sprint to forecast capacity needs

Common Patterns and Insights

Healthy Patterns

Current Member Load:

• Work distributed relatively evenly across team members
• No member significantly higher or lower than peers
• Load aligns with individual capacity

Load by Sprint:

• Consistent load patterns across upcoming sprints
• Load aligns with team velocity
• Balanced distribution across all members

Estimation Accuracy:

• Accuracy improving over multiple sprints
• Variance decreasing between members
• Load roughly matches detail estimate

Member Actuals:

• Steady effort logging matching sprint cadence
• Utilization rates within expected ranges
• Consistent patterns across weeks

Warning Patterns

Current Member Load:

• One or two members carrying significantly more load
• High variance between highest and lowest loaded members
• Load exceeding known individual capacity

Load by Sprint:

• Load increasing every sprint (unsustainable pace)
• Some members consistently higher load than others
• Load not aligning with historical velocity

Estimation Accuracy:

• Consistently high variance between estimate and load
• Some members always over or under-estimating
• Variance increasing over time

Member Actuals:

• Sporadic effort logging (compliance issues)
• Utilization rates consistently too high or too low
• Sudden changes without explanation

Action Patterns

Workload imbalance detected (Current Member Load):

• Redistribute work during standup
• Check if overloaded member has external commitments
• Verify work ownership is accurate

Capacity mismatch detected (Load by Sprint):

• Reduce sprint commitment if consistently over capacity
• Remove work from future sprints if load too high
• Add work if load consistently below velocity

Estimation issues detected (Estimation Accuracy):

• Hold estimation workshop for team
• Coach individual members showing patterns
• Review and refine estimation approach

Effort compliance issues detected (Member Actuals):

• Remind team about timesheet deadlines
• Simplify effort logging process
• Address barriers to consistent logging

Best Practices

Review cadence:

• Daily: Current Member Load during active sprint
• Sprint planning: Load by Sprint for upcoming sprints
• Sprint review: Estimation Accuracy for completed sprint
• Weekly: Member Actuals for timesheet verification
• Monthly: All reports for capacity planning and trends

Data quality:

1. Update to-do values regularly (daily is best)
2. Log effort consistently (at least weekly for actuals)
3. Close completed items promptly
4. Maintain accurate ownership assignments
5. Use "Allocate by Owner" when working with shared items

Analysis tips:

• Compare reports together for complete picture
• Consider team context (varying work types, complexity)
• Use reports to facilitate conversations, not replace them
• Look for patterns over single data points
• Validate data accuracy with team before making decisions

Workload balancing:

• Aim for roughly even distribution, not perfect equality
• Consider individual capacity differences (partial allocation, experience)
• Balance types of work, not just quantities
• Account for non-tracked work (meetings, support, etc.)
• Check in with team members about their actual capacity

Avoid:

• Using load reports to compare productivity between members
• Making workload decisions without team consultation
• Ignoring context (work complexity, external commitments)
• Redistributing work without understanding dependencies
• Forcing perfect load balance without considering work types

Integration with Other Reports

Complementary Reports

Combine with Trend Reports:

• Current Member Load + Member Load Trend: Current state vs historical patterns
• Estimation Accuracy + Detail Estimate Trend: Accuracy over time trends
• Member Actuals + Effort Trend: Current period vs long-term trends

Combine with Sprint Reports:

• Load by Sprint + Sprint Burndown: Capacity vs execution
• Current Member Load + Delivery Contents: Workload vs deliverables

Combine with Team Reports:

• Current Member Load + Team Capacity Report: Individual vs team capacity
• Member Actuals + Team Burndown: Effort vs progress

Cross-Report Analysis

Capacity Planning:

1. Review Member Load Trend to understand historical capacity
2. Check Load by Sprint to see planned commitments
3. Validate with Current Member Load for active sprint
4. Compare to Member Actuals for recent utilization

Estimation Improvement:

1. Track Estimation Accuracy sprint over sprint
2. Compare to Detail Estimate Trend for patterns
3. Correlate with Member Actuals for time spent
4. Use findings to adjust future estimation approach

Technical Details

Load Calculation

Load = Work Done + Remaining To-Do

• Work Done: Amount of work completed (if tracked)
• Remaining To-Do: Amount of work still outstanding
• Load represents total workload, past and future

Effort vs Load

Effort: Actual time logged in done fields (Member Actuals) Load: Estimated work done + remaining (Current Member Load, Load by Sprint)

These are different metrics. Effort tracks actual time spent; load tracks estimated work remaining.

Allocate by Owner Logic

When multiple owners exist on an item:

• Without allocation: Full to-do counted for each owner
• With allocation: To-do divided evenly among all owners

Example: Task with 8 hours to-do, owned by Alice and Bob

• Without allocation: Alice shows 8 hours, Bob shows 8 hours (double-counting)
• With allocation: Alice shows 4 hours, Bob shows 4 hours (realistic distribution)

Report Performance

• Load reports typically render quickly (current snapshot data)
• Large member groups may take longer
• Use member group filters to focus on specific teams
• Export to Excel for offline analysis if needed

Related Topics

• Member and Team Tracking Reports: Overview of all member and team reports
• Member and Team Trend Reports: Historical patterns and forecasting
• Sprint or Iteration Reports: Sprint-specific metrics
• Team Burndown Report: Team progress across projects
• Detail Planning: Breaking down stories into tasks
• Detail Tracking: Tracking task-level progress
• Member Planning: Planning member commitments
• Member Tracking: Tracking member progress