Team Velocity
Understand how much work your team consistently delivers each sprint, with data-driven insights for planning and capacity management.
Team Velocity in Zenhub helps you understand how much work your team consistently delivers each sprint. This measurement becomes your foundation for predicting what your team can realistically accomplish in upcoming sprints.
Accessing the report
Navigate to Reports in the left sidebar and select Team Velocity. The default view shows the past 12 months of data, adjustable using the date range selector at the top. Use the filter bar to narrow by repository, sprint, label, milestone, or assignee.
Reading the velocity chart
Grey bars show closed (completed) story points for each sprint. Light blue bars show open story points that were planned but not completed. The blue line shows average velocity across the entire time period. The green line shows rolling velocity across the last 7 sprints, which reflects current team performance more accurately than the overall average.
Understanding the velocity metrics
Average velocity shows your team's mean story points completed over the selected time period.
Current rolling velocity displays the average based on your last 7 sprints, providing a more recent performance indicator that reflects current team capacity.
Change in rolling velocity indicates whether recent performance is trending up or down compared to previous periods.
Below the chart, scroll to see detailed sprint and milestone information with individual issue statistics that show what contributed to each sprint's velocity.
Interpreting velocity patterns
Look for patterns in sprint-to-sprint velocity. Consistent velocity indicates predictable team capacity, while high variation suggests factors affecting team performance that are worth examining. Use rolling velocity (recent 7 sprints) rather than the overall average for sprint planning.
Compare grey bars (completed) to light blue bars (planned but not completed). Consistent over-planning suggests adjusting sprint commitments. Consistently under-planning indicates potential to take on additional work. Extended tracking often reveals patterns related to holidays or company cycles that help with longer-term capacity planning.
Using velocity for sprint planning
Use your rolling velocity as the starting point for sprint planning. Account for velocity variation by planning conservatively and treating additional capacity as opportunity for stretch goals. When velocity is declining, investigate causes during retrospectives rather than simply reducing commitments.
Customizing the report
Click Report options to access advanced settings. Set completed pipeline defines which Work Tracker pipeline represents completed work. Group columns by lets you organize velocity data by assignees or labels to see individual contributor patterns or work category breakdowns. Shared estimates criteria controls how story points are handled for issues assigned to multiple people — either allocating the full value to each assignee, or splitting it evenly among them.
Sharing velocity data
Click Share at the top right to generate shareable links for team members and stakeholders who have Zenhub access. Use the share menu to export detailed velocity data as CSV for analysis in spreadsheet applications or integration with other reporting tools.
FAQ
Q: Why does my team's velocity vary significantly from sprint to sprint?
A: Velocity variation is normal and can result from changing work complexity, team composition changes, external dependencies, or estimation accuracy. Focus on rolling velocity trends rather than individual sprint variations for capacity planning.
Q: How many sprints of data do I need for reliable velocity measurements?
A: Most teams need 6–8 sprints for reliable patterns to emerge. New teams should focus on rolling velocity rather than overall averages until patterns stabilize.
Q: How do I handle story points for issues assigned to multiple team members?
A: Use the Shared estimates criteria options in Report options. Choose Allocate shared estimates if you want each assignee to get full story point credit, or Split shared estimates evenly to divide points among assignees.
Q: Can I use velocity data to compare different teams?
A: Avoid direct velocity comparisons between teams, as story point estimates are relative to each team's context and estimation practices. Focus on each team's velocity trends within their own historical data.
Q: What should I do if my team's velocity is declining consistently?
A: Investigate potential causes including team capacity changes, increased work complexity, process bottlenecks, or estimation drift. Use retrospectives to identify specific factors and develop improvement plans.