#3 Report of the Week: Sprint Velocity Chart

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This week we will focus on sprint velocity report that helps Agile teams and project managers track and visualize their sprint performance over time in Jira projects.

The primary purpose of the Sprint Velocity Chart is to compare the amount of work committed versus the amount completed during each sprint. This allows teams to evaluate their sprint planning accuracy and monitor their running velocity over time. Additionally, this chart provides insights into version releases, showing how these align with sprint progress.

The key goals of the report are to:

• Compare Sprint Story Points committed (the work planned at the start of each sprint) with Sprint Story Points completed (the actual work completed by the end of the sprint).

• Track the running velocity of the team, which helps to understand performance trends over multiple sprints.

• Visualize the timing of product version releases, helping teams align their sprint work with product delivery goals.

Key Data Displayed in the Report

The Sprint Velocity Chart captures several critical data points to provide a complete view of sprint performance:

• Sprint Story Points Committed: This refers to the total number of story points the team planned to complete at the beginning of each sprint.

• Sprint Story Points Completed: This shows the actual number of story points that were completed by the end of the sprint.

• Version Releases by Sprints: Marks the points in time when product versions were released during the sprints. This helps teams assess how their sprint performance impacts product delivery.

• Sprint Running Velocity: This tracks the team's average velocity over time (the average number of story points completed per sprint). Velocity is a key metric for forecasting future sprint capacity.

Understanding the Chart

The Sprint Velocity Chart is typically displayed as a vertical bar chart. The different elements are represented visually to make it easy to compare performance across multiple sprints:

• Committed and Completed Story Points are shown as vertical bars, allowing teams to see the difference between what was planned and what was actually achieved in each sprint.

• Version Releases are often represented as markers on the chart, helping to highlight when product versions were delivered relative to sprint progress.

• Sprint Running Velocity is usually displayed as a dashed line over time, providing a clear view of the team’s performance trends.

This combination of bars, lines, and markers ensures that the chart is easy to read while delivering a comprehensive view of the sprint performance metrics.

Scope and Filtering Options

The report is scoped to show the last 5 closed sprints for each Jira board, offering a recent snapshot of team performance. This helps teams and managers review their immediate past sprints, making it easier to assess trends and plan for upcoming sprints.

To tailor the report to specific needs, users can apply filters, such as:

• Project Filter: Select one or multiple Jira projects.

• Sprint Filter: choose sprints of interest.

These filters make it easier to drill down into the data and focus on areas that require more attention or analysis.

Insights Gained from the Sprint Velocity Chart

By using the Sprint Velocity Chart, teams and project managers can gain several valuable insights:

• Sprint Performance Comparison: The chart allows teams to compare performance from sprint to sprint, identifying patterns or areas for improvement.

• Commitment vs. Completion Analysis: Teams can analyze how accurately they plan their sprints by comparing the story points committed at the start of each sprint with those completed at the end.

• Team Velocity Trends: The chart provides a visual representation of how the team’s velocity is changing over time, helping to forecast future sprint capacities.

• Correlation with Version Releases: By tracking version releases alongside sprint performance, teams can see how their progress affects product delivery timelines.

Try out this report on your data! Export the report definition and paste it into your account to analyze your data with a couple of clicks.