Blocking Defects
This report shows the number of defects that are delaying other work items. A "Blocking Defect" is defined to be a high priority defect that is currently open (not closed) and has an associated Requirement. The assumption is that work on the requirement cannot proceed until the defect is resolved. The line should slope downward. An upward slope indicates that work on an increasing number of requirements is delayed.
Build Health
This report shows statistics about product builds, such as the number of attempted builds, the number of successful builds, and the number of builds that failed. Generally a high or increasing number of failures (especially later in a project cycle) might indicate a problem that should be investigated.
Defect Aging
This report shows two statistics about defects. The amount of time a defect spends in each state is an important indicator. Verify that the Average time is acceptable, and that there are no excessive Maximum times. The Average should not necessarily be the same for all states, because a defect should move from Submitted to Assigned quickly if your process is working well. The Turnaround Time chart shows how long it took for a defect to be resolved, by severity. Higher severity defects should be resolved quicker than lower severity. The average time should be acceptable, with no unreasonable maximum values.
Defect Status and Distribution
This report shows the number of defects in several ways, which is helpful when trying to understand the state of a project. The State chart can indicate a process problem if most defects are not Resolved or Closed. The Severity chart should show fewer Critical or Major defects if the project is going well. The Priority chart is similar to Severity, in that too many Immediate or High Attention defects might indicate a problem. The Severity and Priority charts only show defects in the Assigned, Opened, Submitted, or Postponed states.
Iteration Velocity
This report shows the number of tasks completed per iteration. The report can be used to understand how much work can be completed in each iteration cycle. Generally the line should be fairly constant. Significant increases or decreases can indicate an external pressure on the project, which should be understood. However, the chart assumes that all tasks involve about the same amount of work. Defining tasks with significantly more or less work can impact the number of tasks completed in a fixed time.
Project Burndown
This report shows the number of tasks assigned to an iteration that were not closed, and therefore, assumed not to be completed. Generally, the lines should be close to zero for each iteration. If they are not, then too much work may be planned for some iterations or work is frequently being underestimated.
Project Performance
This report shows various budget and actual cost metrics. The charts generally show how the actual or estimated values deviate from the budgeted (baseline) as the project progresses. The Estimate at Completion is calculated using the actual cost of work performed (ACWP) so far and budgeted cost for remaining project work. The Budget at Completion should be horizontal if the budget baseline (BWCS) does not change during the project. The Variance at Completion is the estimated difference between the Budget and Estimated cost at Completion for each point in the project. Negative numbers indicate that the project is over budget. The CPI is calculated as Budgeted Cost of Work Performed (BCWP) divided by Actual Cost (ACWP). This line should be fairly horizontal and close to 1 if the project is tracking to its budget. The SPI is the BCWP divided by BCWS, so it should approach 1 as the Budget cost of work performed approaches the constant budget scheduled cost (BCWS) for the project from the baseline. The Cost Variance is the difference between Budgeted Cost of the Work Performed to date and its Actual Cost. Negative numbers indicate that the project is over budget.
Release Readiness (Defect)
Usually a key factor in deciding if a project has sufficient quality to release is the number of open defects. It is therefore essential to know how many open defects currently exist, categorized by Severity. A project may not be ready if there are Critical or Major defects, but a larger number of Minor defects might not justify delaying a release.
Request Trends
The data in this chart is similar to the Glide Path. It shows how many enhancements and defects arrive or are closed in a time interval. Early in a project the Arrivals line may exceed the Closure line. Late in a project this would indicate a problem.
Run Rate
This report shows the rate at which work (Activities) is scheduled and completed. The two lines should track closely, as you should not be scheduling more work in an iteration than can be completed.
Tasks per Project
This report lists all tasks associated with a Project. They are grouped by the Request they are part of.
Tasks per State Type Owner
This is a breakdown of tasks by State, by Type, and by Owner for each iteration. Most tasks should be in a Completed state for previous iterations. Too many uncompleted tasks that are carried over might indicate an invalid velocity assumption. A high number of defect type tasks might also explain a lower than expected velocity, as they are taking time away from enhancements. Similarly, tasks should be relatively balanced across owners, allowing for skill level and other commitments.
Workload
The crosstab shows how many Activities are assigned to each person for each iteration. The numbers should be fairly consistent, so look for substantial increases or decreases that cannot be explained by the amount of work required for some activities or unusually high or low commitments that a person might have that are outside of the project.