Life Cycle Explorer
Issue-level cycle time & bottleneck analysis
Scrum Master Guide: Life Cycle Analysis
The Life Cycle Explorer analyzes operational processes and trends at the issue level. Unlike sprint-level metrics, it shows how individual issues move through stages — revealing where work gets stuck, where handoffs create idle time, and which stages consistently slow delivery. Use this view to identify recurring bottleneck patterns and drive process improvements.
Stage Averages
Issue Cycle Time Breakdown
| Issue | Title | To Do | In Progress | In Review | QA | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PLAT-142 | Fix OAuth token refresh | 8h | 24h | 12h | 4h | 48h |
| PLAT-158 | Add rate limit headers | 16h | 8h | 32h | 6h | 62h |
| MOB-091 | Push notification rework | 4h | 40h | 8h | 16h | 68h |
| DATA-203 | Migrate user table indexes | 24h | 16h | 4h | 2h | 46h |
| FE-077 | Dashboard chart refactor | 48h | 12h | 6h | 3h | 69h |
API Explorer
Using Cycle Time in Ceremonies
Pull the stage averages at sprint close. If 'In Review' consistently takes longer than 'In Progress', your team has a review bottleneck — discuss whether it's capacity, complexity, or process.
Use the issue-level data to identify outliers from the previous sprint. Issues that spent disproportionate time in 'To Do' may indicate backlog grooming gaps.
Surface any issue currently in a stage for longer than the team average. Early detection prevents carry-over.