# Sprint Velocity: How to Calculate It for Agile Planning > Learn what sprint velocity is, how to calculate it with completed story points, and avoid common mistakes so you can plan sprints and forecast capacity. Source: https://asana.com/resources/sprint-velocity ## Sprint velocity: How to calculate it for Agile planning #### Summary Sprint velocity is a key metric in Agile project management that measures how much work a team completes during a sprint cycle. This guide explains how to calculate sprint velocity, why it matters for planning and stakeholder management, and common mistakes to avoid. You'll also find practical tips for maintaining consistent velocity and visualizing your team's performance over time.Sprint velocity is a common tool used in Agile project management. It measures how much an Agile team produces during their normal sprint cycle. In this article, we cover what sprint velocity is, how to calculate it, common mistakes to avoid, and practical tips for keeping your velocity consistent. When measured correctly, sprint velocity can help you accurately estimate your team's workload, simplify sprint planning, and help project managers keep a pulse on their projects. #### Master AI-Powered Workflow Optimization Ready to revolutionize your team's productivity with AI you can trust? Join industry leaders from Asana and Anthropic to learn proven strategies for implementing AI across your workflow stages and unlock the full potential of Asana's AI Studio. - [Watch the webinar](https://resources.asana.com/how-to-transform-your-workflows) ## What is sprint velocity? Sprint velocity is a metric that measures how much work an Agile team completes during a single sprint. It's calculated based on story points or backlog items completed within the sprint timeframe. Sprint velocity is a descriptive metric, not a success metric or [key performance indicator](/resources/key-performance-indicator-kpi). The goal is to understand your team's capacity, not to increase it. If you treat velocity as a performance target, your team can end up overworked. Measure it consistently, but use it for planning rather than evaluation. ## How to calculate sprint velocity You can calculate sprint velocity with a simple equation: **Sprint velocity = Completed story points ÷ Number of sprints** For example, if your team completes 60 [story points](/resources/story-points) over 3 sprints, your average velocity is 20 story points per sprint. ### Step 1: Identify completed user stories At the end of each sprint, count only the user stories or backlog items that are fully complete. Partial work doesn't count toward velocity, as including unfinished items skews your data and makes future planning less accurate. ### Step 2: Calculate average velocity across sprints To establish your team's baseline velocity, you have two options: - **Run an initial sprint.** Start with a full [sprint backlog](/resources/sprint-backlog) and see how many items your team completes. The goal is to [benchmark](/resources/benchmarking) capacity, not finish everything. - **Use estimation strategies.** Try [project estimation methods](/resources/estimation-methods) such as top-down, three-point, or analogous estimation to predict the output before your first sprint. ## Why measure sprint velocity? You don't measure sprint velocity just because; there are practical (and beneficial) reasons your team should measure sprint velocity. Here are a few. - **Makes sprint planning easy.** For product owners and [Scrum masters](/resources/scrum-master), knowing your team's sprint velocity can help make [sprint planning](/resources/sprint-planning-meeting) easier. If you know your team's average sprint velocity, it's easier to choose the right user stories from the product backlog to move into this iteration without overloading your development team. - **Manage stakeholder expectations**. If your [stakeholders](/resources/project-stakeholder) are asking for a timeline for a specific user story or trying to add anything before the end of the sprint, you, as a product owner, understand how that change may affect your team's output given your sprint velocity. - **Signals potential trouble.** When you regularly track sprint velocity, you'll be able to measure the average velocity more consistently. If you see a sudden dip in velocity, then you know there's a potential issue, such as a roadblock like an unfinished dependency, that needs to be resolved before moving on to the next sprint. ## Common mistakes to avoid when measuring velocity Measuring sprint velocity is straightforward, but there are a few common pitfalls that can undermine its usefulness. Here are the mistakes to watch out for. - **Counting incomplete user stories.** Only count work that's fully finished. Partial credit skews your data and makes future planning less reliable. - **Measuring individual velocity.** Velocity is a team metric, not a personal performance score. Tracking individuals creates unhealthy competition and discourages collaboration. - **Using velocity for bonuses or performance reviews.** When velocity becomes tied to rewards, teams may inflate story point estimates to appear more productive. This defeats the purpose of having an accurate planning metric. - **Comparing the velocity between teams.** Every team estimates differently and works in unique contexts. A velocity of 30 for one team is not equivalent to 30 for another, so cross-team comparisons don't provide meaningful insights. - [Free sprint planning template](/templates/sprint-planning) ## Sprint velocity vs. capacity Sprint velocity and capacity are often confused, but they measure different things. Understanding the distinction helps you use both metrics effectively. Metric What it measures Time orientation Best used for **Velocity** Work completed (story points) Backward-looking Setting realistic sprint goals **Capacity** Available effort (hours) Forward-looking Adjusting for time off or constraints Use velocity to set expectations based on past performance. Use [capacity planning](/templates/capacity-planning) to account for upcoming constraints, such as holidays or team members on leave. ## How to visualize sprint velocity Visualizing sprint velocity helps your team quickly understand performance and track progress. There are several [project chart](/resources/project-charts) types to choose from: ### Basic velocity chart A basic velocity chart is a bar graph that compares projected work with actual work completed. The X-axis shows sprints, while the Y-axis displays story points or [user stories](/resources/user-stories). This visual makes it easy to see patterns in your team's output compared to estimates. ### Burndown chart A [burndown chart](/resources/burndown-chart) estimates the amount of work your team needs to complete and compares it to the time remaining in the sprint. As the sprint progresses, the goal is for the line on the graph to move closer to zero. If you have an estimate of your team's velocity, you can plot it on your burndown chart and see how it compares to the ideal velocity line. In the example above, you can see how early in the sprint the team completed more work than anticipated based on the ideal line. ### Burnup chart A burnup chart is the exact opposite of a burndown chart. This graph typically includes two lines: the actual work completed and the ideal goal you want your team to achieve. The ideal goal is usually a horizontal line across the graph, while the actual work will continually grow toward the goal line over time. ## Tips for regulating your team's sprint velocity Inconsistent sprint velocity often signals an underlying issue. Consistency matters because it makes your team's performance predictable and highlights problems early. For example, if your recent sprints show velocities of 4.5, 7, 5, and 3, while the average is 6, that inconsistency warrants investigation. The goal is to keep velocity stable from sprint to sprint. Here are a few tips to help you manage your team's sprint velocity. ### Clarify user stories One way to stabilize your team's sprint velocity is to ensure user stories are clear and easy to understand before the sprint starts. A user story is a brief description of a software feature written from the end user's perspective. These user stories are often attached to items in a backlog. This ensures that [Scrum](/resources/what-is-scrum) or project team members can focus on the work they need to do, rather than spending time hunting down stakeholders for more specifics. ### Ensure consistency If your team's velocity is inconsistent, you might be changing too many variables from sprint to sprint. For example, are you swapping different team members from your development team? Team composition can affect how much work your team can accomplish. **Here are a few other variables that may affect your sprint velocity:** - Sprint length - Increase in story points - Change in processes ### Establish a uniform definition of "done" It's important that everyone on your team has a clear understanding of what it means for a user story to be "done" or complete. This is a key aspect of the Scrum framework that is also used in other Agile methodologies. When your team has a clear definition of what it means for a user story to be complete, they can more accurately estimate the work involved in each one. This, in turn, leads to more accurate sprint velocity. ### Host a sprint retrospective One of the benefits of the [Agile methodology](/resources/agile-methodology) is its iterative development process. At the end of each sprint, there's an opportunity to reflect on what went well and what didn't. A [sprint retrospective](/templates/sprint-retro) [meeting](/resources/sprint-retrospective) is dedicated to reflecting on the past sprint and how to improve for the next one. The goal here is to [continuously improve](/resources/continuous-improvement) by applying learnings from past sprints into future sprints. ## Track sprint velocity with work management software Measuring sprint velocity is most effective when you have a single source of truth for all your project data. With a work management platform like Asana, you can: - Track deliverables and manage your product backlog in one place - Visualize velocity trends without switching between tools - Spend less time on manual reporting and more time acting on insights - Give stakeholders the visibility they need to stay informed Ready to bring clarity to your Agile projects? [Get started](/create-account) with Asana today. ## Frequently asked questions about sprint velocity #### What is the difference between sprint velocity and burndown? Sprint velocity measures total work completed per sprint, while a burndown chart tracks remaining work day by day within a single sprint. #### Should sprint velocity always increase? No. The goal is a stable, predictable velocity rather than constant growth, since chasing higher numbers can lead to burnout or inflated estimates. #### How many sprints do I need to calculate reliable velocity? 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