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Sprint Close Process (Mandatory)

Applies to all Scrum teams using Redmine
This process is mandatory and must be followed for every sprint

1. Overview

The Sprint Close Process defines the mandatory steps to correctly close a sprint in Redmine while preserving:

  • Permanent sprint history
  • Accurate velocity and throughput
  • Clear spillover accountability
  • Audit-ready data
  • Clean and performant Redmine usage

This process ensures sprint data remains reliable months or years later.

2. Scope

This process applies to:

  • All Scrum / Sprint-based teams
  • All issues assigned to a Sprint Version
  • All Trackers (Stories, Tasks, Bugs)

3. Ownership & Timing

*. Item *. Details
Owner Scrum Master
Required Participants Product Owner
When After Sprint Review and before next Sprint Planning
Mandatory Yes – no steps may be skipped

4. Core Principle (Golden Rule)

bq. Never clear the Sprint Version before setting the “Completed In Sprint” field.

Breaking this rule permanently destroys sprint history.

5. Required Fields & Rules

5.1 Mandatory Custom Fields

Field Name Type Required When
Completed In Sprint Dropdown Status = Done
Spillover Reason Dropdown / Text Status ≠ Done

5.2 Field Rules

Completed In Sprint

  • Must be set for every completed item
  • Represents the only source of truth for sprint completion
  • Must never be changed after sprint close

Spillover Reason

  • Mandatory for all unfinished items
  • Must explain why work was not completed
  • Used for retrospective and improvement analysis

5.3 Allowed Statuses at Sprint End

Status Allowed
Done / Closed Yes
In Review Yes (counts as spillover)
In Progress Yes (spillover)
Blocked Yes (spillover)
Ready / New Yes (spillover)

6. Sprint Close Saved Queries (Before Closing)

Saved queries act as validation gates.
All blocker queries must be empty before proceeding.

Q1 – All Sprint Items (Working Set)

  • Filters:
    • Fixed version = Sprint YYYY-NN
  • Columns:
    • Tracker, Subject, Status, Assignee, Priority
    • Story Points, Completed In Sprint, Spillover Reason
  • Saved as:
    Sprint Close – All items (Sprint YYYY-NN)

Q2 – Completed Candidates (Verification)

  • Filters:
    • Fixed version = Sprint YYYY-NN
    • Status = Done / In Review
  • Saved as:
    Sprint Close – Done in sprint version (verify fields)

Q3 – DONE but Missing Completed In Sprint (BLOCKER)

  • Filters:
    • Fixed version = Sprint YYYY-NN
    • Status = Done
    • Completed In Sprint = empty
  • Rule:
    This query must be empty
  • Saved as:
    Sprint Close – Missing Completed In Sprint (BLOCKER)

Q4 – Not Done Yet (Spillover Candidates)

  • Filters:
    • Fixed version = Sprint YYYY-NN
    • Status = New, Ready, In Progress, In Review, Blocked
  • Saved as:
    Sprint Close – Not done (spillover candidates)

Q5 – Spillover Missing Reason (BLOCKER)

  • Filters:
    • Fixed version = Sprint YYYY-NN
    • Status ≠ Done
    • Spillover Reason = empty
  • Rule:
    This query must be empty
  • Saved as:
    Sprint Close – Spillover missing reason (BLOCKER)

Q6 – Blockers Snapshot

  • Filters:
    • Fixed version = Sprint YYYY-NN
    • Status = Blocked
  • Saved as:
    Sprint Close – Blocked items snapshot

7. Step-by-Step Sprint Closing Procedure

Step 1 – Freeze the Sprint

After Sprint Review:

  • No new issues may be assigned to the Sprint Version
  • No priority changes are allowed
  • Sprint scope is frozen

Step 2 – Review Every Sprint Issue

Filter issues using:

Fixed version = Sprint YYYY-NN

Each issue must follow exactly one of the paths below.

A. Completed Issues

Set all of the following:

*. Field *. Required Value
Status Done
Completed In Sprint Sprint YYYY-NN

Verify before continuing:

  • Acceptance Criteria met
  • QA completed
  • No open sprint bugs

Do NOT clear the Sprint Version yet.

B. Not Completed (Spillover)

Set all of the following:

*. Field *. Required Value
Status In Progress / Ready
Spillover Reason Mandatory
Completed In Sprint Do not set

Step 3 – Validate Sprint Data (Non-Negotiable)

Before proceeding, confirm:

  • All Done items have Completed In Sprint
  • All unfinished items have Spillover Reason
  • No blocker queries contain results

If anything is wrong: STOP and fix it.

Step 4 – Clear Sprint Version

For every issue in the sprint:

*. Field *. Action
Fixed version Clear (empty)

Sprint Version is now free for future use.

Step 5 – Close Sprint Version

Navigate to:

Administration → Versions → Sprint YYYY-NN

Set:

*. Field *. Value
Status Closed

8. Metrics Capture & Validation

After sprint close, use history-based queries.

Completed Work

Completed In Sprint = Sprint YYYY-NN
Status = Done or Closed

Velocity

  • Sum of Story Points for completed stories

Spillover Analysis

Spillover Reason is not empty

Group by Spillover Reason.

9. Sprint Wiki Update

Update the sprint Wiki page:

Sprint YYYY-NN

Include:

  • Sprint Goal
  • Total completed stories
  • Final velocity
  • Spillover summary
  • Retrospective action items (linked issues)

10. Final Validation Checklist

Before declaring sprint closed, confirm:

  • Can we list everything completed in this sprint?
  • Can velocity be recalculated months later?
  • Are spillover reasons explicit?
  • Can a new team member understand this sprint from records?

If all answers are Yes, the sprint is correctly closed.

11. One-Page Summary

1. Freeze sprint
2. Mark completed issues → Completed In Sprint
3. Mark spillover → Spillover Reason
4. Clear Sprint Version
5. Close Sprint Version
6. Capture metrics
7. Update Sprint Wiki
8. Prepare next sprint

12. Final Statement

Following this process guarantees:

  • Permanent sprint traceability
  • Accurate velocity & throughput
  • Clean releases
  • Audit-ready delivery history
  • Sustainable Redmine usage

This process is mandatory for all teams.

Updated by Redmine Admin about 2 months ago · 2 revisions