How to Improve Velocity in Scrum?

Do you want to know how fast your Scrum team can work? Velocity is the key here to enhance your Agile project. Yes, velocity in Scrum provides unparalleled insight into your team’s work capacity. Now, the question is - how do you improve velocity in Scrum? We have curated a detailed guide below that will discuss everything about calculating velocity and using this powerful metric to predict the Scrum team’s future performance. 

What is the Velocity in Scrum?

Velocity in Scrum measures the amount of work a particular team can deliver during a Sprint. It serves as an important Agile metric to estimate the work the team can complete within a given time frame. 

A Scrum team’s velocity is used to determine the number of product backlog items to tackle during Sprint planning. With this, anyone can calculate both the amount of work and the associated delivery date. Later, the actual velocity will be used in the calculator for the next one at the end of the Sprint. 

You can always express velocity in story points. For the unversed, it is a unit of measure for sizing user stories or tasks. These are mostly calculated in terms of complexity, risk, and uncertainty. Story points also provide a nuanced way to estimate work than other time-based metrics.

Velocity in Scrum helps to forecast the continuous improvement a particular team can accomplish in future Sprints. The Agile metric assists with planning and setting realistic goals. It also helps teams develop a stable work plan and predict project timelines. Ultimately, this Agile velocity in Scrum helps them manage stakeholder expectations.

Check:What is a Scrum Team in Agile

How to Measure Velocity in Scrum?

The most important thing to remember here is that you can calculate the velocity chart Scrum only at the conclusion of each sprint. The process happens by aggregating the story points or other designated units of measurement assigned to completed user stories. The process of calculating velocity in Scrum involves several steps:

1. Sprint Planning

Enumerate and allocate points to all user stories in the product backlog before commencing a Sprint. Here is one velocity Scrum example for better understanding: 

• Assign user authentication: 5 points
• Add payment gateway integration: 8 points
• Implement search functionality: 3 points
• Develop a user profile page: 13 points
• Implement email notifications: 2 points
• Optimize database queries: 21 points
• Create an admin dashboard: 5 points

The team commits to completing user stories in the upcoming Sprint. It depends on factors like the average velocity from previous sprints, holidays, or external dependencies.

Learn more about sprint planning in agile.

2. List Completed User Stories

Compile a list of fully completed user stories at the Sprint's end. It enables you to meet the acceptance criteria and gain approval from the Scrum Master and Product Owner. The user story is moved to the next Sprint for re-evaluation of points based on remaining tasks if it is not 100% complete.

3. Check Points

Review the already assigned story points for each completed user story. Re-evaluate points if necessary.

4. Sum Points to Find Velocity

Calculate the total story points for all completed user stories. The sum often represents the Sprint velocity.

For example, if completed user stories are assigned 5 points, 8 points, and 3 points, the total for the same would be 16 points. This is what indicates the velocity of Scrum for the Sprint.

5. Average Velocity

Establish a more reliable measure for future sprints by calculating the average velocity over the number of completed sprints. It proves to be helpful for all the newly formed teams or those undergoing changes in size or structure.

Suppose the velocities for the last three Sprints were 14, 16, and 15, respectively. So, the average velocity would be (14 + 16 + 15) / 3 = 15 points.

List Some of the Best Practices to Improve Velocity in the Scrum

You need to know some specific strategies to improve the velocity in Scrum. Here are some best practices associated with it:

1. Avoid Becoming Overly Fixated on Metrics

While metrics can be useful, excessive emphasis on them may encourage behaviors that do not contribute to better outcomes. Discuss and use metrics judiciously, steering clear of constant dwelling. Resist the urge to say, "Let's aim for more points next sprint!" as it might incentivize the team to inflate point values rather than seeking innovative ways to enhance quality.

2. Automate All Processes to Enhance Efficiency

Conduct a Value Stream mapping exercise on current processes to identify and eliminate bottlenecks. For instance, if there's a manual software building or testing process, implementing automation shortens timelines, allowing the team to focus on delivering more value and functionality.

3. Prioritize the Removal of Impediments

Efficient issue management is crucial for preventing slowdowns. Even though some Agile teams may resist structured issue management, a basic tracking system can offer substantial benefits.

4. Opt for Smaller Work Items to Facilitate a Smoother Flow

Examine large work units (taking more than one week for design/build/test) and explore ways to decompose them into smaller, more manageable portions.

5. Experiment with Work In Progress (WIP) Limits

Implementing WIP limits is a lean strategy for optimizing workflow and reducing context-switching. Some teams, especially those capable of "swarming" on specific tasks, may find significant benefits through experimentation with this method.

6. Address Technical Debt Consistently

Unfinished work or shortcuts in your product/system are akin to accumulating financial debt. Regularly and incrementally addressing technical debt allows the team to focus more energy on building the desired solution.

7. Explore Pair-work as an Experiment

Pair work can yield significant benefits by increasing product quality and enhancing team knowledge simultaneously. Consistently applied, this technique improves the team's capacity for handling more complex tasks, leading to increased output.

8.   Minimize Context Switching and Optimize Resource Management

Encourage your team to concentrate on one task at a time, ensuring its completion before moving on. In Agile methodologies, the goal is to minimize context switching whenever possible. Context switching occurs when individuals have to shift their focus from one task to another. The time spent concluding one piece of work and transitioning to a new one consumes resources and time, ultimately reducing the team's velocity. Safeguard your team from unnecessary context switching to enhance velocity over time. It's important to recognize that multitasking is a misconception; humans cannot truly multitask but can only switch between contexts.

How to Maintain Velocity in the Long Term?

Sustaining a consistent sprint velocity presents its challenges, but it is pivotal for maintaining a well-functioning development process. Here are some pointers to assist your team in staying on the fast track:

1. Prioritize Transparent Communication

Effective communication is a cornerstone of Agile development. It becomes particularly crucial when aiming to uphold sprint velocity. Ensure that everyone on the team is well-informed about sprint goals and priorities, and keep them updated on any changes or developments.

2. Highlight the Importance of Quality

Amidst the pressure to meet sprint deadlines, the importance of quality can sometimes be overlooked. However, a focus on quality is instrumental in maintaining velocity over the long run by minimizing the need for rework and bug fixes. Encourage your team to invest the necessary time to get things right from the outset.

3. Monitor Team Capacity

Burnout and excessive workloads can swiftly impede a team's velocity. Regularly assess everyone's capacity and ensure a fair distribution of work. Factor in time for team-building activities and professional development to maintain a healthy balance.

4. Acknowledge Achievements

Celebrating successes is a powerful motivator. Take the time to recognize and appreciate the team's accomplishments, regardless of their scale.

5. Promote Experimentation and Learning

Agile development thrives on experimentation and continuous learning. Encourage your team to explore new processes and tools, and integrate feedback and lessons learned into future Sprints.

Conclusion

Velocity in Scrum is a key performance indicator that measures the amount of work a particular team can handle during a sprint. It also offers a projection of their potential output later during the completion of the project. However, you must know how to calculate this Agile metric right to ensure proper project management processes. The best thing to do here is to choose the best Scrum certification course from Simpliaxis. It will help you understand the different elements associated with the methodology, including velocity. Go ahead, choose your course, and be ready to practice velocity in Scrum for your next Sprint.