Say it like this
- These unfinished tickets will roll over to next sprint.
- Do unused vacation days roll over to next year?
- The remaining budget will roll over to Q2.
- Let's roll over the incomplete stories.
- API credits roll over automatically each month.
Use it at work
Planning
- Unfinished tickets roll over to the next sprint.
- Our budget doesn't roll over.
HR
- Can I roll over unused holiday days?
- Five days roll over to next year.
Systems
- The logs roll over every day.
- The counter rolled over at the max value.
Don't say this
Use 'to' not 'into' when talking about moving to a new period.
Don't mix it up
| Term | What it is | Who writes or uses it | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| roll over | Move to the next period | Anyone | Budgets, sprints |
| carry forward | Move to the next period (formal) | Finance, managers | Reports |
Practice
Try it
4 quick exercises
1. How would you tell your team that unfinished tasks will move to next sprint?
2. Do unused vacation days _____ to next year, or do we lose them?
3. We need to roll over this feature to finish by Friday.
4. The remaining tasks that we did not complete will be moved to the next time period.
Say it out loud
Phrase 1 of 5
"These unfinished tickets will roll over to next sprint."
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More about roll over
Real examples(7)
- Standup
"We didn't finish the auth ticket, so it'll roll over to today's work."
- Slack message
"Quick question: do unused API credits roll over to next month?"
- GitHub PR
"This refactor is too big for one PR. Let's roll over the remaining changes to a follow-up."
- Jira ticket
"Rolled over from Sprint 14 — still blocked by dependency."
- Retrospective
"We had three tickets roll over again. Should we break them into smaller tasks?"
- Sprint planning
"We have five stories rolling over from last sprint. Let's prioritize them first."
- Pair programming
"If we don't finish this today, it'll just roll over to tomorrow's session."
More mistakes(2)
- ✕We need to roll over this bug to close.✓We need to roll over this bug to the next sprint.
Roll over needs a destination (the next period), not an action like 'close'.
- ✕Please roll over me the remaining tasks.✓Please roll over the remaining tasks to me.
The object being rolled over comes right after the verb, not the person.
Other forms(5)
- roll over verb (base)
"Unfinished tasks roll over to the next sprint."
- rolled over verb (past)
"Three tickets rolled over from last sprint."
- rolling over verb (present participle)
"We keep rolling over the same tasks."
- rollover noun
"We had too much rollover this sprint."
- rolled-over adjective
"Let's review the rolled-over tickets first."
Often used with(5)
- roll over to next sprint · Most common usage in agile teams
- roll over automatically · Used for systems that transfer data without manual action
- roll over unused credits · Common in billing and subscription contexts
- roll over the balance · Used for budgets, hours, or quotas
- roll over remaining work · General phrase for unfinished tasks
Similar words(4)
- carry over · Almost identical meaning; slightly more formal
- transfer · More general; doesn't imply automatic or cyclical movement
- move forward · Less specific; can mean reschedule or postpone
- push to next sprint · Agile-specific; implies deliberate decision rather than automatic
Opposites(5)
- expire
- close out
- complete
- use up
- forfeit
Questions(6)
- What does 'roll over' mean in sprint planning?
- In sprint planning, 'roll over' means unfinished tasks from the current sprint automatically move to the next sprint. Teams often discuss how many tickets rolled over to understand their velocity.
- Is 'roll over' the same as 'carry over'?
- 'Roll over' and 'carry over' mean almost the same thing. 'Roll over' is slightly more common in tech contexts. 'Carry over' sounds a bit more formal but both are correct.
- Can I use 'roll over' for code or features?
- Yes, you can say changes or features 'roll over' to a follow-up PR or next release. However, 'roll over' is more common for tasks, credits, and time-based items than for code itself.
- What is the noun form of 'roll over'?
- The noun form is 'rollover' (one word). Example: 'We had too much rollover this sprint.' It refers to the items or amount that rolled over.
- Does 'roll over' mean the same as 'postpone'?
- 'Roll over' implies something moves automatically to the next period. 'Postpone' means you actively decide to delay something. Rolling over is often expected; postponing is a deliberate choice.
- How do I say tasks keep rolling over every sprint?
- You can say 'These tasks keep rolling over sprint after sprint' or 'We've been rolling over the same tickets.' This often signals a problem the team should discuss.
