What Is Sprint Velocity in Agile?
Understand sprint velocity, how it is measured, and why it is the cornerstone of agile planning. Includes examples for Scrum teams of all sizes.
Fundamentals
Detailed Explanation
What Is Sprint Velocity?
Sprint velocity is the total number of story points (or equivalent units) a team completes during a single sprint. It is one of the most widely used metrics in Scrum and other agile frameworks.
How It Works
At the end of each sprint, the team counts only the stories that meet the Definition of Done. Partially completed stories are not counted -- they carry over to the next sprint.
Sprint 1: completed 24 points
Sprint 2: completed 28 points
Sprint 3: completed 22 points
Sprint 4: completed 26 points
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Average velocity = (24 + 28 + 22 + 26) / 4 = 25 points/sprint
Why Velocity Matters
- Sprint planning -- Knowing your average velocity tells the team how many story points to pull into the next sprint backlog.
- Release forecasting -- If the remaining backlog is 150 points and your velocity is 25, you need roughly 6 sprints to finish.
- Capacity conversations -- Velocity makes trade-offs visible. Adding scope means pushing the release date, and stakeholders can see it.
Common Misconceptions
- Velocity is not a productivity KPI. Comparing velocities between teams is meaningless because story point scales differ.
- Higher velocity is not always better. Inflating estimates defeats the purpose.
- Velocity should stabilize over time. Wild swings indicate estimation or process issues.
Use Case
Use this guide to introduce sprint velocity to new Scrum team members or stakeholders unfamiliar with agile metrics.