Velocity indicates the amount of work a team can complete in a Sprint (usually a period of a few weeks). It is about how many backlog items or project components (often expressed in points) the team can finish during that time. This number helps the team estimate the amount of work they can undertake in future Sprints.
For instance, if a team completes 20 points of work in a two-week Sprint, they use that number to plan how much they can tackle in the next Sprint. Thus, Velocity is a measure of how quickly a team works.
Better estimates
Velocity measures the speed at which a Scrum team completes tasks. Teams often use ‘story points’ for this, but they can also choose other methods. The Scrum Guide, by the way, does not mention the use of Velocity.
By looking at Velocity across different Sprints, a team can see if they are becoming more stable or faster at doing the work.
It is therefore helpful for teams to estimate how much work they can do in the future, based on what they have done before.
Pitfalls of Velocity
It is important to remember that Velocity is primarily meant to help the team itself, not to assess their overall productivity or quality. Some possible pitfalls include:
- Comparing teams – Using Velocity to compare teams is incorrect. Each team works differently.
- Quantity over quality – Focusing too much on the amount of work usually means the quality of the work decreases.
- Gaming the points – Teams can adjust the points of tasks to make their Velocity look better. This adds no value.
The most important thing to remember is that Velocity is intended to assist the team, not to measure how good they are.