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Glossary
Agile & Scrum

What is Sprint Velocity?

Sprint Velocity is a metric that tracks the amount of work a development team successfully completes during a set period called a sprint. It is typically measured in story points or hours and represents the team's capacity for future work cycles.

When to use it

Teams use Sprint Velocity during sprint planning to determine how many backlog items they can realistically commit to based on historical performance. It solves the problem of over-commitment by providing a data-driven baseline for a team's actual output rather than relying on best-case scenario estimates.

Example

A software team at a SaaS startup completes 28 story points in their first sprint, 32 in their second, and 30 in their third, resulting in an average Sprint Velocity of 30 points. When the Product Manager introduces a new 'Advanced Analytics' epic estimated at 90 story points, the team can use their velocity to forecast that the work will likely require three full sprints to deliver. This allows them to set realistic stakeholder expectations for the Q3 release schedule.

How Planet Roadmap helps with Sprint Velocity

Planet Roadmap provides a dedicated Sprint view that automatically aggregates story points from completed tasks to calculate your rolling average velocity. This data is then used to help you visualize capacity directly on your sprint board as you plan upcoming cycles.

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FAQ

Can Sprint Velocity be compared between two different teams?
No, velocity is a team-specific metric because every team estimates complexity and 'points' differently. Comparing velocities across teams often leads to 'point inflation' and provides a misleading view of relative productivity.
Should we use our highest recorded velocity or an average for planning?
You should always use a rolling average of the last 3 to 5 sprints for planning. Using your highest velocity (peak capacity) often leads to over-commitment because it doesn't account for natural fluctuations in team availability or unforeseen blockers.

Related terms

SprintStory PointsProduct BacklogScrumVelocityBurndown ChartSprint PlanningBacklog Grooming

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