Velocity
The amount of work a team completes per sprint, measured in story points.
Detailed Explanation
Velocity is the measure of the amount of work a team completes during a single sprint, typically measured in story points. It is calculated by summing the points of all completed (done) user stories at the end of each sprint.
Velocity is a planning and forecasting tool, not a performance metric. It helps teams predict how much work they can take on in future sprints and enables release forecasting (total remaining points divided by average velocity = sprints remaining). Using velocity to compare teams or pressure performance is a misuse.
Reliable velocity requires several sprints of data. New teams should wait 3-4 sprints before using velocity for planning. Average velocity over the last 3-5 sprints provides the most useful planning baseline, smoothing out sprint-to-sprint variation.
Key Points
- Sum of story points completed (done) per sprint
- A planning tool, not a performance metric
- Enables sprint planning and release forecasting
- Requires 3-4 sprints of data to become reliable
- Use average of last 3-5 sprints for planning
- Never use to compare teams or pressure performance
Practical Example
A team's velocity over the last 5 sprints: 28, 32, 30, 35, 31. Average velocity = 31.2 points/sprint. The product backlog has 156 points remaining for the next release. Release forecast: 156 / 31.2 = 5 sprints (10 weeks). The PM tells the sponsor: 'We expect to release in 10 weeks, with a range of 9-11 weeks based on velocity variance.'
Tips for Learning and Applying
Only count fully completed stories — partial credit defeats the purpose
Use velocity for planning, never for team comparison or performance pressure
Track velocity trends — sustained decline signals team issues
Recalibrate if the team composition changes significantly
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