Backlog Arrival vs Resolution Rate

Backlog acceleration has a simple root cause: more work is entering the queue than is leaving it. This visual tracks exactly that balance — weekly arrivals (issues entering the backlog) versus weekly resolutions (issues pulled out and started or completed). The area between the two lines is your net backlog change.

When arrivals consistently outpace resolutions, that gap compounds over time — and what starts as a small imbalance becomes a structural backlog problem within a few sprints. Seeing it early is the only way to act before it becomes urgent.

What you can conclude

• A widening gap over multiple weeks is the definition of backlog acceleration — it requires either reducing arrivals (scope control) or increasing resolutions (capacity).
• Weeks where resolutions exceed arrivals are healthy — the team is actively clearing debt, not just keeping pace.
• A consistently balanced chart means the team is sustaining a stable backlog size — neither shrinking nor growing.

How this chart works

Dual time-series line chart showing weekly issue arrivals (entering To Do or Backlog) and weekly resolutions (pulled into In Progress or Done). A rolling 4-week average is shown as a dashed line for each series.

Use the project and date filters to focus on a specific team or period. This chart is most useful when viewed over at least 8 weeks.