Issue rank management in an issue tracking system

A computer implemented method for selecting a plurality of issues maintained by an issue tracking system for balancing, the method comprising:

• determining a pivot issue maintained by the issue tracking system;
• adding the pivot issue to a set of issues, the set of issues being issues that are to be balanced;
• sequentially analyzing issues in a first direction from the pivot issue, the issues in the first direction having successively adjacent rank values in the first direction to a rank value of the pivot issue and, for each successive first direction issue in the first direction:
• determining whether selection termination criteria are met in respect of the first direction issue;
• and
• in response to determining that selection termination criteria are not met in respect of the first direction issue, adding the first direction issue to the set of issues and proceeding to analyze a next issue in the first direction.

A system for selecting one or more issues maintained by an issue tracking system for balancing, the system comprising:

• one or more processors;
• one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media storing sequences of instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:
• determine a pivot issue maintained by the issue tracking system;
• add the pivot issue to a set of issues, the set of issues being issues that are to be balanced;
• sequentially analyze issues in a first direction from the pivot issue, the issues in the first direction having successively adjacent rank values in the first direction to a rank value of the pivot issue and, for each successive first direction issue in the first direction:
• determine whether selection termination criteria are met in respect of the first direction issue;
• and
• in response to determining that selection termination criteria are not met in respect of the first direction issue, add the first direction issue to the set of issues and proceeding to analyze a next issue in the first direction.