# Carry Forward Meaning: Use It in Sprints and Budgets

> To move something from one time period or stage to the next one.

- **Term:** Carry forward
- **Part of speech:** phrasal verb
- **Pronunciation:** /ˈkæri ˈfɔːrwərd/
- **English level (CEFR):** B1–B2
- **Register:** Neutral, Both
- **Region:** US and UK
- **Topic:** [Agile and project terms](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/topics/agile-project-management-terms.md)
- **Lesson:** https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/carry-forward
- **Last updated:** 2026-10-27

## Meaning

To move something from one time period or stage to the next one.

In software engineering, "carry forward" describes the deliberate transfer of incomplete tasks, bugs, or technical debt into the next work cycle. Engineers most often use this term during sprint planning meetings, daily standups, and retrospectives when discussing what remains unfinished. You might also hear it in post-incident reviews when action items extend beyond the current sprint, or during interviews when explaining how your team manages workload continuity. For example, a teammate might say, "We'll carry forward the database optimization work since the API refactoring took longer than expected." A common mistake is treating carry forward as purely negative—it is actually a normal planning practice, not a sign of failure. However, teams should monitor how many items are consistently carried forward, as excessive carryover can indicate underestimation, scope creep, or unclear priorities. The term emphasizes intentional handoff rather than abandonment of work.

## When you hear it

Used in sprint planning, retrospectives, and Jira ticket management. Common in meetings about unfinished work.

## Examples

- **Standup:** "We didn't finish the API integration, so we'll carry it forward to today."
- **Slack message:** "FYI, carrying forward the design review ticket since we ran out of time."
- **GitHub PR:** "This refactor is too big for this PR. Let's carry forward the remaining changes to a follow-up."
- **Jira ticket:** "Carrying forward to Sprint 24 due to blocked dependency."
- **Retrospective:** "We carried forward three tickets this sprint. Let's discuss why."
- **Sprint planning:** "We have five tickets carried forward from last sprint. Let's prioritize them first."
- **Pair programming:** "Let's carry this refactoring idea forward and tackle it after we finish the feature."

## What native speakers say

- "We'll carry forward the remaining tickets to next sprint."
- "Let's carry these action items forward to the next meeting."
- "This bug wasn't fixed, so we're carrying it forward."
- "Can we carry this discussion forward to tomorrow's sync?"

## Common mistakes

- ✗ "Let's carry on the tickets to next sprint." → ✓ "Let's carry forward the tickets to next sprint." ('Carry on' means to continue doing something. 'Carry forward' means to move something to a later time.)
- ✗ "We need to carry forward this ticket yesterday." → ✓ "We carried forward this ticket from last sprint." (Carry forward refers to moving something to the future, not the past.)
- ✗ "I will carry forward finishing my task." → ✓ "I will carry forward my task to next sprint." (Carry forward takes a noun (the task), not a verb (finishing).)

## Word forms

| Part of speech | Word | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| base form | carry forward | We need to carry forward these items. |
| present continuous | carrying forward | We're carrying forward two tickets. |
| past tense | carried forward | The task was carried forward to Sprint 12. |
| noun form | carryforward / carry-forward | We have a lot of carryforward this sprint. |


## Collocations

- **carry forward tickets**: Most common usage in agile teams.
- **carry forward action items**: Used for meeting follow-ups.
- **carry forward to next sprint**: Standard phrasing for sprint planning.
- **carry forward from last week**: Describes where the item came from.
- **carry forward the discussion**: Used when a topic needs more time.

## Synonyms

- **roll over**: Very similar meaning, slightly more casual.
- **push to next sprint**: More direct, often implies the work was delayed.
- **defer**: More formal, suggests a deliberate decision to postpone.
- **move to backlog**: Implies the work may not happen soon.

## Opposites

- close out
- complete
- finish
- drop
- remove from scope

## Practice

This lesson has 4 practice exercises with instant feedback on the page: https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/carry-forward

## FAQ

### What does carry forward mean in sprint planning?

Carry forward means moving unfinished tickets or tasks from the current sprint to the next sprint. Teams use this phrase when work was not completed on time.

### Is carry forward the same as roll over?

Yes, carry forward and roll over mean the same thing. Roll over is slightly more casual. Both mean moving work to the next period.

### Can I use carry forward for meetings?

Yes. You can carry forward action items or discussion topics to the next meeting. For example: 'Let's carry forward this topic to tomorrow's sync.'

### Is carry forward negative?

Not necessarily. Carry forward is neutral. It simply means work is continuing. However, too many carried forward items might show a planning problem.

### What is the noun form of carry forward?

The noun form is 'carryforward' or 'carry-forward.' Example: 'We have a lot of carryforward this sprint.' Some teams also say 'carryover.'


## Related

- [Roll over](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/roll-over.md)
- [Backlog](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/backlog.md)
- [Sprint](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/sprint.md)
- [Action item](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/action-item.md)
- [Scope](https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn/scope.md)
- Full glossary: https://app.speaktechenglish.com/learn.md
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