Story points and velocity in Agile in Software Engineering - Step-by-Step Execution

Concept Flow - Story points and velocity in Agile

Team estimates tasks with story points

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Sprint starts: team works on tasks

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Sprint ends: count completed story points

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Calculate velocity = total story points done

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Use velocity to plan next sprint's workload

The team assigns story points to tasks, completes them in a sprint, then measures velocity by summing completed points to plan future sprints.

Execution Sample

Software Engineering

Sprint 1 tasks: 3, 5, 2 points
Sprint 1 done: 3, 5 points
Velocity = 8 points
Plan Sprint 2 with ~8 points

Shows how story points completed in Sprint 1 determine velocity used for Sprint 2 planning.

Analysis Table

Step	Action	Story Points Assigned	Story Points Completed	Velocity Calculation	Planning Outcome
1	Estimate tasks	Task A=3, Task B=5, Task C=2
2	Sprint work
3	Complete tasks		Task A=3, Task B=5 done; Task C=2 not done
4	Calculate velocity			3 + 5 = 8
5	Plan next sprint				Plan ~8 story points workload

💡 Velocity calculated after sprint ends by summing completed story points

State Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 1	After Step 3	After Step 4	Final
Story Points Assigned	0	3,5,2	3,5,2	3,5,2	3,5,2
Story Points Completed	0	0	3,5	3,5	3,5
Velocity	0	0	0	8	8
Planned Sprint Points	0	0	0	0	8

Key Insights - 3 Insights

Why do we add only completed story points to calculate velocity?

Velocity counts only completed work to reflect actual team capacity, as shown in step 4 of the execution_table where only done tasks (3 and 5 points) are summed.

Can velocity change every sprint?

Yes, velocity can vary because the team may complete different amounts of work each sprint, which is why velocity is recalculated every sprint (step 4).

Why not use story points assigned for planning instead of velocity?

Story points assigned show estimated effort, but velocity shows real completed work, making it a better guide for planning future sprints (step 5).

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution_table at step 4. What is the velocity calculated?

A 8 story points

B 10 story points

C 5 story points

D 0 story points

💡 Hint

Check the 'Velocity Calculation' column in step 4 of the execution_table.

At which step do we see the team completing only some of the tasks?

A Step 1

B Step 3

C Step 5

D Step 2

💡 Hint

Look at the 'Story Points Completed' column in the execution_table to find partial completion.

If the team completed all tasks, how would velocity change at step 4?

A Velocity would be 5 story points

B Velocity would be 8 story points

C Velocity would be 10 story points

D Velocity would be 0 story points

💡 Hint

Sum all story points assigned (3+5+2) if all tasks are done, check variable_tracker for assigned points.

Concept Snapshot

Story points estimate task effort.
Velocity = sum of completed story points in a sprint.
Velocity helps plan realistic future sprint workloads.
Only completed points count toward velocity.
Velocity changes each sprint based on actual work done.

Full Transcript

In Agile, teams estimate tasks using story points to represent effort. During a sprint, the team works on these tasks. At sprint end, they count only the story points of tasks fully completed. This sum is called velocity. Velocity shows how much work the team can finish in a sprint. Teams use velocity to plan how many story points to take on in the next sprint, aiming for a realistic workload. Velocity changes each sprint depending on actual completed work. This helps teams improve planning and delivery over time.

Practice

1. What do story points represent in Agile project management?

easy

A. The deadline for completing a project

B. The exact number of hours needed to finish a task

C. A relative measure of effort required to complete a task

D. The total number of tasks in a sprint

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand story points concept

   Story points are used to estimate how much effort a task will take compared to other tasks, not exact hours.

2. Step 2: Differentiate from time estimates

   Unlike hours, story points are relative and help teams compare tasks easily.

3. Final Answer:

   A relative measure of effort required to complete a task -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Story points = relative effort [OK]

Hint: Story points measure effort, not exact time [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing story points with hours
• Thinking story points count tasks
• Mixing story points with deadlines

2. Which of the following best defines velocity in Agile?

easy

A. The total story points completed in a sprint

B. The time taken to complete a single task

C. The number of team members working on a sprint

D. The number of meetings held during a sprint

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify velocity meaning

   Velocity is the sum of story points completed by the team in one sprint.

2. Step 2: Exclude unrelated options

   Team size, task time, and meetings do not define velocity.

3. Final Answer:

   The total story points completed in a sprint -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Velocity = completed story points [OK]

Hint: Velocity sums completed story points per sprint [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing velocity with team size
• Thinking velocity is task duration
• Mixing velocity with number of meetings

3. A team completed tasks with story points: 3, 5, 2, and 8 in a sprint. What is their velocity?

medium

A. 20

B. 18

C. 10

D. 8

Solution

1. Step 1: Add all completed story points

   Sum = 3 + 5 + 2 + 8 = 18

2. Step 2: Confirm velocity definition

   Velocity is total story points done in sprint, so 18 is correct.

3. Final Answer:

   18 -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   3+5+2+8 = 18 [OK]

Hint: Add all completed story points for velocity [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Adding incorrectly
• Choosing highest single story point
• Confusing velocity with number of tasks

4. A team planned 30 story points for a sprint but completed only 22. What is the velocity and what does it indicate?

medium

A. Velocity is 22; team completed less than planned

B. Velocity is 30; team met the plan

C. Velocity is 52; sum of planned and completed

D. Velocity is 8; difference between planned and completed

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify velocity from completed points

   Velocity equals story points actually completed, which is 22.

2. Step 2: Interpret velocity vs plan

   Since 22 is less than planned 30, team completed fewer points than expected.

3. Final Answer:

   Velocity is 22; team completed less than planned -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Velocity = completed points = 22 [OK]

Hint: Velocity = completed points, not planned [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using planned points as velocity
• Adding planned and completed points
• Using difference as velocity

5. If a team's average velocity is 25 story points per sprint, how many sprints will they need to complete a backlog of 120 story points?

hard

A. 3

B. 4

C. 6

D. 5

Solution

1. Step 1: Calculate number of sprints needed

   Divide total backlog points by average velocity: 120 ÷ 25 = 4.8 sprints.

2. Step 2: Round up to whole sprints

   Since partial sprints are not practical, round up to 5 sprints.

3. Final Answer:

   5 -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   120/25 ≈ 5 sprints [OK]

Hint: Divide backlog by velocity, round up [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Rounding down instead of up
• Using velocity as planned points
• Ignoring partial sprint calculation