What is Throughput?
The amount of work a team completes in a given period.
Definition
Throughput measures how many units of work (PRs, issues, or deployments) a team completes per period. It is a flow metric that describes capacity and delivery rate over time.
How it’s measured
Count completed items (merged PRs, closed issues, or deployments) per week or sprint. Throughput is most useful as a trend, not an absolute target, and should never be compared across teams as a productivity ranking.
What good looks like
There is no universal "good" throughput — it depends on work size and team. Watch for stability and trend: erratic throughput often signals unpredictable WIP or planning issues.
Why it matters
Throughput supports forecasting and capacity planning. Used carefully (as a trend, never as an individual scorecard) it helps teams understand their delivery rhythm without inviting metric gaming.
Related terms
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