Learn how to spot inefficiencies and delays in your software development process, so you can optimize workflows, improve team performance, and accelerate delivery.

1. Identify Stalled PRs in the Review Queue

➡️ Where: PR Insights → Overview Table

Start by filtering for PRs open without review in the past week or month. This highlights work that hasn't been picked up by reviewers, potentially signaling an early bottleneck.

What to look for:

• PRs that have been open without review for more than 1–2 days.
• Sort by "Oldest First" to review the most delayed PRs first.
• Assess whether these delays are expected (e.g., low priority, WIP) or signs of a process breakdown.

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Use this view to create a culture of prompt reviews and avoid long-standing, overlooked work.

2. Review PRs Stuck With Review

➡️ Where: PR Insights → Overview Table (with filter: Open With Review)

PRs that have already been reviewed but remain open often represent deeper issues—like unclear feedback, high risk, or misalignment between team members.

What to look for:

• PRs reviewed but not merged within a few hours.
• Sort oldest to newest to identify long-stalled PRs.
• Open each PR to review:
  • Number and type of commits
  • Reviewer comments
  • Author responses

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This deeper dive helps distinguish between justified delays (e.g., complex changes) and unnecessary blockers that should be escalated or resolved.

3: Analyze Resolution Patterns

➡️ Where: PR Insights → Resolution Tab → Closed PRs Table and Close Metrics

Now switch to closed PRs to understand what slowed them down.

What to look for:

• Outliers beyond the 3-day trailing median.
• PRs with:
  • 5+ follow-on commits
  • Multiple reviewers
  • Delayed first comment

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These patterns may signal areas where review guidelines aren’t clear or team alignment is lacking.

4: Examine Cycle Time Segments

➡️ Where: Cycle Time Reports
Break down cycle time into its segments to find high-impact delays.

Focus on:

• Pickup Time and Review Time — often the biggest contributors to delays.
• Coding Time and Deploy Time — useful, but more subjective and less actionable.

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Prioritize improvements in the stages that are easiest to measure and act on.

Key Takeaways

• Use PR insights to spot and resolve delays before they snowball.
• Cycle Time breakdowns reveal systemic issues across the lifecycle.
• Enhance visibility and accountability with alerts and project-level overviews.
• Gain insights into resourcing and scope bottlenecks.