Sprint Velocity
How to measure and use your team's sprint velocity for accurate planning—without gaming the metric.
Definition
Sprint Velocity is a measure of the amount of work a scrum team can complete in a single sprint. It's calculated by summing the story points (or other work units) of all completed user stories at the end of each sprint. Velocity is used for planning future sprints, not for performance evaluation.
How to Calculate Velocity
Only count stories that meet your Definition of Done. Incomplete stories carry over to the next sprint and don't count toward velocity.
Velocity Calculation Example
| Sprint | Committed | Completed | Velocity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprint 1 | 24 pts | 21 pts | 21 |
| Sprint 2 | 22 pts | 22 pts | 22 |
| Sprint 3 | 25 pts | 18 pts | 18 |
| Sprint 4 | 20 pts | 23 pts | 23 |
| Average | — | — | 21 |
With an average velocity of 21, this team should commit to approximately 21 story points in Sprint 5.
Common Velocity Mistakes
Using velocity as a performance metric
Problem: Teams inflate story points to look productive
Fix: Use velocity only for planning, not evaluation
Comparing teams by velocity
Problem: Different teams estimate differently
Fix: Each team should only track their own velocity
Expecting velocity to always increase
Problem: Creates unsustainable pressure and burnout
Fix: Aim for stable, predictable velocity
Using a single sprint for planning
Problem: Sprint-to-sprint variation is normal
Fix: Use rolling average of 3-5 sprints
Including incomplete work
Problem: Inflates velocity, creates carry-over debt
Fix: Only count fully completed stories
When Velocity Is Useful
- Sprint planning: Knowing your average velocity helps commit to a realistic amount of work
- Release planning: Estimate how many sprints to complete a set of features
- Identifying disruptions: Significant velocity drops may indicate blockers, technical debt, or team issues
- Capacity planning: Adjust for vacations, holidays, or new team members
Velocity vs. Other Metrics
Velocity
- • Measures planned work completed
- • Based on story points
- • Used for sprint planning
- • Team-specific, not comparable
Throughput
- • Measures actual delivery
- • Based on items completed
- • More objective
- • Can be compared across teams
Frequently Asked Questions
What is sprint velocity?
Sprint velocity is the average amount of work a team completes during a sprint, measured in story points, hours, or completed items. It's used to predict how much work the team can realistically commit to in future sprints.
How do you calculate sprint velocity?
Sprint Velocity = Total story points (or work units) completed in a sprint. For planning, use the average velocity over the last 3-5 sprints to account for natural variation.
What is a good sprint velocity?
There's no universal "good" velocity—it's team-specific based on team size, experience, and story point definitions. What matters is that velocity is consistent and predictable, not that it's high.
Should sprint velocity increase over time?
Not necessarily. Stable velocity is more valuable than increasing velocity. Pressure to always increase velocity leads to story point inflation, burnout, and gaming the metric. Focus on consistency and sustainable pace.
Can you compare velocity between teams?
No. Story points are subjective estimates relative to each team's experience. Comparing velocities across teams is meaningless and counterproductive. Each team should only compare against their own historical velocity.
Go Beyond Story Points
DevSpy tracks actual code delivery—commits, PRs, and deployments—giving you objective productivity metrics that complement velocity.
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