Cycles
Date-boxed iterations (sprint-like), numbered per project, with velocity and burndown.
A cycle is a stretch of work bounded by a start and end date within a project (the equivalent of a sprint or iteration). Issues are grouped onto it to plan and measure progress.
What it is
Cycles belong to a project and are numbered per project: each project starts
at its own Cycle 1, Cycle 2, Cycle 3… (two different projects can both have a
Cycle 1). Each cycle has:
- A number that’s sequential within the project.
- An optional name.
- A start date and an end date (both required).
The «active cycle» isn’t a stored status: it’s derived from the date (the cycle whose range contains today).
What it’s for
Planning work in time-boxes and measuring the team’s throughput. Two charts are computed from a cycle’s issues:
- Velocity: points completed per cycle. It sums the estimate of the cycle’s issues that are in a completed-category state. Completed issues without an estimate don’t add up (they’re counted separately to flag that velocity ignores them).
- Burndown: remaining work day by day against the ideal line, from the cycle’s start to its end. Viewable by points or by issue count.
Both depend on Workflow states: what counts as «completed» is decided by the state’s category, not its name.
How to use it
- In a project, open the Cycles tab and create one with its (optional) name and its start and end dates.
- Assign issues to the cycle from each issue’s Cycle property (only cycles from the same project appear). You can also assign them via API/MCP.
- Follow progress in the velocity and burndown charts.
Details worth knowing
- Numbering is sequential and safe against simultaneous creations (assigned in the same operation that creates the cycle).
- There’s no «close» action: cycles have no status. The only destructive action is to delete one.
- Deleting a cycle does not delete its issues: they’re simply left with no cycle. Nor are they automatically moved to the next cycle.
- Deleting the project removes its cycles; issues only lose their reference to the cycle.
Related: Projects · Workflow states · Insights.