Scrum Velocity Calculator
This tool helps you calculate your team's average Scrum velocity based on the Story Points completed in recent sprints. Velocity is a measure of the amount of work a team can complete during a single sprint.
Enter the total Story Points completed for each of your recent sprints. The calculator will sum them up and divide by the number of sprints you provide to give you an average velocity. Only include points for items that met your Definition of Done.
Enter Completed Story Points per Sprint
Understanding Scrum Velocity
What is Velocity?
In Scrum, velocity is a measure of the amount of work a team can complete during a single sprint. It is typically calculated by summing the Story Points (or other estimates) assigned to all items that were *completed* (met the Definition of Done) within a sprint.
Why Calculate Velocity?
Velocity is primarily used as a tool for **forecasting** and **planning**. By understanding how much work a team can typically finish in a sprint, Product Owners can better estimate how long it will take to complete future features or projects. It's a valuable metric for the team to understand their capacity, but it should *not* be used as a performance metric for individuals or as a target to arbitrarily increase.
How to Calculate Average Velocity
The average velocity is calculated by taking the sum of the completed Story Points over several recent sprints and dividing by the number of those sprints.
Average Velocity = (Sum of Completed Points in recent sprints) / (Number of recent sprints)
It's common practice to calculate the average over the last 3 to 5 sprints to get a stable, realistic measure of the team's current capacity.
Scrum Velocity Examples
See how different sprint results affect the average velocity:
Example 1: Simple Average over 3 Sprints
Scenario: A team wants to calculate their average velocity over the last 3 sprints.
Sprint Results: Sprint 1: 25 points done, Sprint 2: 28 points done, Sprint 3: 22 points done.
Calculation: Total points = 25 + 28 + 22 = 75. Number of sprints = 3.
Average Velocity: 75 / 3 = 25 points per sprint.
Conclusion: The team's average velocity is 25.
Example 2: Average over 5 Sprints with Variation
Scenario: Calculating velocity over 5 sprints with typical fluctuations.
Sprint Results: Sprint 1: 20 points, Sprint 2: 24 points, Sprint 3: 22 points, Sprint 4: 25 points, Sprint 5: 19 points.
Calculation: Total points = 20 + 24 + 22 + 25 + 19 = 110. Number of sprints = 5.
Average Velocity: 110 / 5 = 22 points per sprint.
Conclusion: The team's average velocity over these 5 sprints is 22.
Example 3: Including a Sprint with Zero Completed Points
Scenario: A sprint was interrupted, and nothing was fully completed.
Sprint Results: Sprint 1: 30 points, Sprint 2: 0 points, Sprint 3: 32 points.
Calculation: Total points = 30 + 0 + 32 = 62. Number of sprints = 3.
Average Velocity: 62 / 3 ≈ 20.67 points per sprint.
Conclusion: The zero-point sprint is included in the average calculation, lowering the overall velocity.
Example 4: Velocity for a New Team (Initial Low Values)
Scenario: A newly formed team completes their first few sprints.
Sprint Results: Sprint 1: 10 points, Sprint 2: 15 points, Sprint 3: 18 points.
Calculation: Total points = 10 + 15 + 18 = 43. Number of sprints = 3.
Average Velocity: 43 / 3 ≈ 14.33 points per sprint.
Conclusion: Initial velocity might be lower as the team learns to work together and estimate effectively. This average provides a baseline.
Example 5: Using Velocity for Simple Forecasting
Scenario: A team has an average velocity of 20 points and needs to complete a 100-point backlog.
Calculation: Sprints needed = Total Backlog Points / Average Velocity = 100 / 20 = 5 sprints.
Conclusion: Based on current velocity, it will take approximately 5 sprints to complete the 100 points.
Example 6: Impact of an Outlier Sprint
Scenario: A team's velocity is usually around 40, but one sprint was much lower due to unforeseen issues.
Sprint Results: Sprint 1: 42 points, Sprint 2: 40 points, Sprint 3: 10 points, Sprint 4: 38 points.
Calculation: Total points = 42 + 40 + 10 + 38 = 130. Number of sprints = 4.
Average Velocity: 130 / 4 = 32.5 points per sprint.
Conclusion: The outlier sprint significantly reduced the calculated average. The team might consider if this outlier should be excluded from forecasting if it was truly exceptional.
Example 7: Calculating Velocity with Decimal Points
Scenario: Some user stories were split and partially completed, resulting in fractional points (if the team allows this).
Sprint Results: Sprint 1: 15.5 points, Sprint 2: 18 points, Sprint 3: 16.5 points, Sprint 4: 19 points.
Calculation: Total points = 15.5 + 18 + 16.5 + 19 = 69. Number of sprints = 4.
Average Velocity: 69 / 4 = 17.25 points per sprint.
Conclusion: Velocity can be a decimal number. It's important to be consistent in how points are counted.
Example 8: Velocity Including a Very High Sprint
Scenario: One sprint had unusually high productivity or simpler stories.
Sprint Results: Sprint 1: 35 points, Sprint 2: 45 points, Sprint 3: 38 points, Sprint 4: 60 points, Sprint 5: 42 points.
Calculation: Total points = 35 + 45 + 38 + 60 + 42 = 220. Number of sprints = 5.
Average Velocity: 220 / 5 = 44 points per sprint.
Conclusion: A single high sprint can increase the average. It's important to understand *why* velocity changes to improve predictability.
Example 9: Calculating Average for Long-Term Trend
Scenario: A stable team wants to see their velocity over the last 6 sprints.
Sprint Results: 28, 30, 29, 31, 28, 30 points per sprint.
Calculation: Total points = 28+30+29+31+28+30 = 176. Number of sprints = 6.
Average Velocity: 176 / 6 ≈ 29.33 points per sprint.
Conclusion: This average provides a stable measure for long-term planning.
Example 10: What NOT to Include (Planned but not Done)
Scenario: In Sprint X, the team planned 30 points but only finished 25. The other 5 points are carried over.
Correct Velocity Calculation for Sprint X: Only the *completed* points are counted.
Sprint X Velocity: 25 points.
Conclusion: Velocity is based on what was *delivered* and met the Definition of Done, not what was planned or estimated initially for the sprint.
Frequently Asked Questions about Scrum Velocity
1. What exactly is Scrum Velocity?
Velocity is the total number of story points (or other effort estimates) assigned to backlog items successfully completed by a Scrum team in a single sprint.
2. How do I use this calculator?
Enter the total number of story points completed for each of your recent sprints (typically the last 3 to 5). Click "Calculate Average Velocity" to get the average points completed per sprint over that period.
3. What does "completed" mean for velocity calculation?
"Completed" means the item meets the team's Definition of Done (DoD). This usually involves all development, testing, documentation, and anything else required for the item to be potentially shippable.
4. Why is average velocity more useful than single-sprint velocity?
Single-sprint velocity can fluctuate due to various factors. An average over several sprints provides a more stable and predictable measure of the team's typical capacity for forecasting.
5. How many sprints should I include in the average?
Generally, 3 to 5 recent sprints are used. More sprints might smooth out fluctuations but could include data from when the team's composition or process was different. Fewer sprints might be too sensitive to single-sprint anomalies.
6. Should velocity be used to compare teams or individuals?
Absolutely not. Velocity is a tool for the team's internal planning and forecasting. Comparing velocity between teams is misleading because estimation scales, sprint duration, and Definition of Done can vary significantly. Using it for individual performance review is detrimental to team collaboration and trust.
7. What if we don't use Story Points? Can I still use this tool?
This specific tool is designed for Story Points. If you use other forms of estimation like ideal days or task counts, you could potentially adapt it, but the standard definition of velocity in the context of forecasting is based on relatively-sized estimates like Story Points.
8. Does adding more people increase velocity proportionally?
Not necessarily. Adding team members initially often *decreases* velocity slightly due to onboarding, communication overhead, and forming/storming phases. Over time, velocity may increase, but it's not a simple linear relationship.
9. Is velocity a target that the team must meet or exceed?
No. Velocity is a *forecast*, not a commitment or a target to strive for. Treating it as a target can lead to inflating estimates, reducing quality, or cutting corners to artificially boost the number, undermining the purpose of Scrum.
10. What should we do if our velocity is very unstable?
Unstable velocity suggests there are inconsistencies in the team's process. This could be due to inconsistent Definition of Done, frequent interruptions, unclear requirements, technical debt, external dependencies, or frequent changes in team composition. The team should inspect and adapt to identify and address the root causes.
