Velocity is the amount of work, usually measured in story points, that a team completes in a sprint, used to forecast how much it can take on in future sprints.
Velocity is calculated from finished work only. Averaged over the last few sprints, it tells the team roughly how much to plan next time.
Use it carefully
- Velocity is for the team's own planning, not for comparing teams.
- Changes in team size, holidays and estimation habits all move it.
- Pushing for higher velocity tends to inflate estimates rather than speed up delivery.
Example
A team finished 21, 24 and 18 points in its last three sprints, so it plans about 21 points for the next one.