Free tool
How much can this sprint take, with everyone's time off?
Pick the sprint dates, enter each person's days off and how much of their time is on the team, and get the capacity in focused days and points. Holidays are taken out for you.
| Person | Days off | On team % | Focused days | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | ||||
| 5.6 | ||||
| 3.5 | ||||
| 3.5 | ||||
| 7 |
This sprint can take
34
points (26.6 focused days)
- 84% of a full sprint
- 10 working days, Oct 19 – Nov 1
Capacity is a calendar problem before it's a math problem.
The calculator needs each person's days off. Those live in people's heads, a spreadsheet or an HR tool until someone asks. On a team calendar they're already there, next to the sprint dates and the holidays. Here's a team's first sprints of 2027. It's live, so try it.
- Each sprint is a band across the team
- The summary names who's away during each sprint
- MLK Day cuts Sprint 2 to nine working days
- Drag time off in and see who's missing
The method, in four lines.
- Count working days in the sprint: weekdays minus public holidays.
- For each person, subtract their days off and multiply by their share of time on the team.
- Multiply by a focus factor, usually 60% to 80%, for meetings, reviews and support.
- Scale last sprint's velocity by this sprint's capacity against a full one.
For the longer version with an example, read sprint planning when people are out. To lay out a whole year of sprints, use the sprint calendar 2027.
Questions
How do you calculate sprint capacity?
For each person, take the working days in the sprint (weekdays minus holidays), subtract their days off, multiply by the share of their time on the team, and multiply by a focus factor for meetings and support. Add it up for the team.
What is a focus factor?
The share of a working day that goes to sprint work after meetings, reviews, support and interruptions. Most teams land between 60% and 80%. Start at 70% and adjust from your actual velocity.
How do you plan a sprint when people are on vacation?
Count capacity per person, not per team: someone out for five days of a ten-day sprint brings half their usual capacity. Scale last sprint's velocity by this sprint's capacity, and don't plan work that depends on the people who are out.
Should holidays reduce sprint capacity?
Yes. A two-week sprint with Martin Luther King Jr. Day or Thanksgiving in it has nine or eight working days instead of ten, and people often take the days around a holiday off too.
How do you convert capacity to story points?
Multiply last sprint's velocity by this sprint's capacity divided by a full sprint's capacity. If you normally do 40 points and this sprint has 75% of the usual capacity, plan about 30.