Velocity is one of those ideas in Agile that sounds more reliable than it usually turns out to be.
When I first encountered Agile, estimation felt like a breakthrough. If a team could size work consistently, and track how many points it completed in a sprint, surely planning would become more realistic.
In theory, that makes sense.
A team estimates work in story points based on effort, complexity and uncertainty. Over time, it learns its velocity: how many points it tends to complete in a sprint. That should help it plan future sprints with more confidence.
Continue reading Does agile velocity actually help?