Issues Completed / Week

Overview

The Issues Completed Per Week report measures how many issues your team completes on average each week, giving you a clear view of delivery velocity and team productivity. This metric automatically adjusts for time off, providing an accurate picture of your team's true capacity.

What This Metric Measures

Issues Completed Per Week tracks the volume of work your team delivers by measuring:

• Throughput: The number of issues marked as "Done" per active contributor per week

• Delivery velocity: How quickly your team is completing planned work

• Team capacity: Realistic output expectations based on actual performance

Higher numbers indicate greater issue completion volume, which typically signals strong productivity and delivery momentum.

How It's Calculated

The metric uses a simple but effective calculation:

Issues Completed Per Week = (Total Completed Issues ÷ Active Employee Days) × 7

Example: If your team completed 20 issues over a period with 50 active employee days, the metric would be:

(20 ÷ 50) × 7 = 2.8 issues per week per active contributor

What Counts as "Active"

An active contributor is someone who:

• Is currently employed

• Has commit activity within the last 30 days

• Is not marked as out of office

• Is not excluded from your contributor settings

Automatic Time-Off Adjustment

If you have your time off data synced to Span, the metric automatically excludes:

• Vacation days

• Sick leave

• Scheduled time off

• Other out-of-office periods

This ensures your productivity metrics reflect true working capacity, not artificially deflated numbers caused by planned absences.

Where to Find This Report

Access the Issues Completed Per Week report from:

• Insights → Productivity

• Issue lifecycle tab

• Search for "Issues Completed Per Week" in the metrics navigation

Key Use Cases

1. Track Team Velocity

Monitor whether your team is completing more or fewer issues over time to understand productivity trends.

2. Capacity Planning

Use historical completion rates to estimate realistic issue commitments for upcoming sprints, quarters, or planning cycles.

3. Identify Productivity Changes

Spot improvements or declines in output that may warrant investigation or recognition.

4. Compare Performance

Benchmark different teams or individuals to identify best practices and areas for improvement.

5. Detect Bottlenecks

Low completion rates may signal process problems, unclear requirements, technical debt, or other blockers.

6. Validate Workload Distribution

Ensure work is balanced across your team and no one is overwhelmed or underutilized.

7. Measure Process Improvements

Track whether workflow changes, new tools, or process updates actually improve delivery output.

Available Breakdowns & Filters

Analyze Issues Completed Per Week across multiple dimensions:

Team & People Dimensions

• Individual contributors

• Teams and organizational groups

• Job level or IC level

• Job title or role

• Department or job family

• Location/geography

• Tenure

• Custom organization tags

Issue Dimensions

• Issue type (Stories, Tasks, Bugs, Sub-tasks)

• Custom issue categories

• Issue lifecycle stage

Time Periods

• Weekly: Primary granularity showing completion each week

• Monthly/Quarterly: Aggregated views over longer periods

• Custom ranges: Any start and end date

• Historical comparisons: Side-by-side period analysis

• Trending views: Time series showing changes over time

How It Relates to Other Metrics

Issues Completed Per Week works best when analyzed alongside complementary metrics:

Pro Tip: Use Issues Completed Per Week (volume) alongside Issue Cycle Time (speed) to get a complete picture of both throughput and efficiency.

Insights You Can Gain

Productivity Trends

• Is the team speeding up or slowing down over time?

• Are there seasonal patterns or predictable variations?

Team Comparisons

• Which teams are most productive?

• How do completion rates compare across departments?

Individual Performance

• Who consistently completes more issues?

• Are there performance outliers that need attention?

Capacity Forecasting

• Based on past rates, how many issues can we commit to next sprint?

• What's our realistic throughput for quarterly planning?

Process Impact

• Did our new workflow improve completion rates?

• What happened after we introduced that new tool?

Workload Balance

• Is work evenly distributed across the team?

• Are some contributors overloaded while others have capacity?

Getting Started

Requirements

To use this metric, ensure you have:

• ✓ Connected project management tool (Jira, Linear, etc.)

• ✓ Calendar integration enabled (for accurate OOO tracking)

• ✓ Team and contributor data configured in Span

Best Practices

1. Look at trends, not snapshots: Weekly fluctuations are normal—focus on patterns over time

2. Combine with qualitative data: High completion doesn't always equal high impact

3. Consider issue complexity: Not all issues are equal—pair with story points for context

4. Account for context: Team changes, tech debt, or major initiatives affect completion rates

5. Use benchmarks: Compare against Span's industry percentiles to understand relative performance

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why does this metric show a different number than my project management tool?
A: Span normalizes completion to "per week per active contributor" and excludes time off, while most PM tools show raw totals.

Q: What if someone works on issues but doesn't complete them?
A: This metric only counts completed issues. For work-in-progress, check Issue Cycle Time or other in-flight metrics.

Q: How do I improve this metric?
A: Focus on removing blockers, improving issue clarity, reducing scope creep, and ensuring proper workload distribution.

Q: Should I use this metric for performance reviews?
A: Use it as one data point among many. Context matters—complex issues, mentoring work, and technical debt reduction may not show up in completion counts.

Need Help?

For additional support with the Issues Completed Per Week report:

• Visit the Span Help Center

• Contact your Customer Success Manager

• Email support@span.app

This documentation reflects Span's platform capabilities as of the current version. Features and calculations are subject to updates.