Issue Bouncebacks

Issues moving back in state

Overview

Issue bouncebacks occur when a ticket moves back to a status that it has already been in at least once before. This indicates that the criteria for progressing from one status to another are not well understood by the team, the specific work being done is poorly defined, or the team is juggling too many things at a time.

Description

Issue bouncebacks refer to instances where an issue moves back to a status that it has already been in at least once before. When issues bounce back, the team suffers several impacts to efficiency:

The person who prematurely moved the ticket forward and the person who bounced the issue back will both have to context switch to pick this work back up as it moves forward through the process once more.
After the required changes are made, any tests or reviews that were done previously will need to be repeated.
If bouncebacks are common, it can be impossible for the team to estimate their capacity accurately, making planning and hitting deadlines very difficult.

Issue bouncebacks often require rework, or uncover requirements that were previously unknown, which can lead to project delays, added resource strain, and potential quality issues. Monitoring and analyzing bouncebacks provides valuable insights into the efficiency of your issue resolution process and helps identify opportunities for improvement.

How is Issue Bounceback Calculated?

Allstacks calculates bouncebacks in the following manner:

Whenever an issue visits a state it has been in previously, it will be counted as 1 bounceback.
If an issue visits multiple states that it has been in previously, each of those states will add to the bounceback count.
If an issue bounces back several process stages at one time, for example bouncing back from QA to To Do, and then moves forward through the process, going from To Do to In Progress to Code Review to QA, each of those statuses it re-visits along the way will add to the bounceback count, even though it’s moving forward through the process now. This allows you to see the impact of tickets that require more significant rework vs tickets that only need to go back one step to get back on track.

Questions You Can Answer with Issue Bounceback Data

What is the frequency and pattern of issue bouncebacks?
How often do issues reappear after being marked as resolved? Are there specific types of issues or stages where bouncebacks occur more frequently?
What are the root causes of issue bouncebacks?
Are bouncebacks due to incomplete resolution, testing issues, dependency oversights, or changing requirements? Identifying these causes helps pinpoint areas for improvement.
How do issue bouncebacks impact project timelines and resources?
What is the effect of bouncebacks on the overall project schedule? Are resources being diverted to address issues that should have been closed, impacting other areas of the project?
Are there recurring patterns or lessons learned from issue bouncebacks?
Do certain types of tasks or issues have a higher likelihood of bouncing back? What common lessons can be applied to reduce bouncebacks in future work?

Key Takeaways from Issue Bouncebacks

Root Cause Identification: By analyzing the frequency and causes of bouncebacks, teams can uncover underlying problems in their resolution processes. This insight allows for targeted improvements, such as enhancing testing practices, clarifying requirements, or improving the collaboration between teams.
Process Improvement Opportunities: Issue bounceback data highlights areas where the team’s processes can be refined. For example, issues that bounce back due to incomplete resolutions may point to a need for better documentation, more thorough testing, or better collaboration across teams.
Resource Allocation Optimization: By identifying areas where bouncebacks are most common, project managers can allocate additional resources or adjust timelines accordingly.
Continuous Improvement and Lessons Learned: Issue bouncebacks provide an opportunity for teams to learn and improve continuously. By tracking recurring bounceback patterns and reflecting on what could have been done differently, teams can refine their issue resolution processes, prevent similar problems in the future, and boost overall productivity.

Conclusion

Issue bouncebacks highlight areas in the issue resolution process that need improvement. By tracking and analyzing bouncebacks, teams can identify root causes, optimize workflows, and prevent rework. Addressing these issues leads to more efficient resolution, better resource allocation, and continuous process improvement.