Velocity Chart Template: How to Predict Agile Team Performance Accurately
By: Hajime Estanislao, PMP; Editor: Geram Lompon; Reviewed by: Alvin Villanueva, PMP
Not sure how much your agile teams can complete each sprint? Teams can become stuck in planning sessions where no one agrees on the realistic amount of work.
A velocity chart helps cut through that. It is a visual record of how your agile team has been performing based on velocity data and agile metrics, giving you a better sense of what to expect in future sprints.
It is not about guessing or hoping. It is about working from facts with the help of an agile team’s velocity.
To make it work well, you will need more than just numbers on a chart. Small changes, such as tightening effort estimates, can transform this tool into a steady guide for project flow, ultimately enhancing team productivity.
Download our sample Velocity Chart Template and use these tips to track completed user stories that reflect how your development teams function.
What is a Velocity Chart?
An agile velocity chart is a visual representation of the story points or completed user stories that a team completes across multiple sprints. It shows how fast work is moving from backlog to done.
By examining past sprints, teams can estimate the user stories and story points they need to complete in future sprints, adding structure to sprint planning without relying on guesswork.
In agile
Measuring Velocity in Agile and Other Metrics
Velocity is how a team is progressing within iterative development, but it works best when used with other measurements:
Velocity vs. Sprint Burndown
Velocity sums up the work completed per sprint; sprint burndown shows how much work remains each day within a sprint. Velocity supports long-term planning, especially useful for a two-week sprint, while burndown helps teams monitor daily flow.
Velocity vs. Lead Time
Lead time refers to the total time elapsed from the request to its completion. Unlike velocity, which only considers the time it takes to complete a task, it includes delays and wait periods, providing a broader view of delivery speed.
Velocity vs. Throughput
Throughput counts completed items regardless of size. Velocity is tied to story points and complexity, offering a more nuanced view of effort.
Velocity vs. Cycle Time
Cycle time begins when work starts and ends when it is marked as complete. It highlights how quickly tasks move through the team, making it a synergistic pairing with velocity for understanding flow.
Reasons You Need to Know Velocity Charts
Velocity charts support planning and fewer surprises. They help replace estimates based on gut feelings with actual data from previous sprints.
- Tracks how much work gets done in each sprint
- Makes sprint planning reflect past performance
- Reveals productivity trends over time
- Flags blockers or slowdowns
- Help set realistic timelines.
- Encourages open conversation about scope and pace
- Useful when comparing different periods
- Provides project managers with visible reference points
Step-by-Step Instructions to Use Velocity Charts
You don’t need advanced tools to get started; just a process and honest data. Here is how to make a velocity chart work.
Gather the Completed Items
Review recent sprints and count only the completed user stories. If a task is still incomplete, save it for next time. Use your project tracking tool to collect story points from each sprint.
Chart the Sprints
Use a bar chart to map out the sprints. Each bar represents one sprint, and its height reflects the number of story points completed. Tools like Google Sheets or Excel are more than enough.
Calculate the Average Velocity
Add up story points completed across all sprints, then divide by the number of sprints. It is your average sprint velocity, a helpful number when deciding how much to take on next.
Use It for Sprint Planning
Bring your average into planning sessions. If they usually finish 25 points, plan accordingly and not exceed that number. Adjust as needed for time off, changes in team size, or more complex tasks.
Watch for Trends
Keep an eye on how the numbers change. A consistent chart means the team is settling into a rhythm. If velocity drops or jumps frequently, discuss it with the team, especially if a downward trend is observed.
Tips and Tricks for Using a Velocity Chart
These adjustments can help you make better use of your chart:
- Count only completed work. Incomplete items can throw off planning.
- Stay consistent with story points. Everyone should understand the meaning of each value.
- Track at least 3–5 sprints. One or two sprints won’t tell you much.
- Watch for big swings. A shaky chart might signal unclear goals or team disruptions.
- Use velocity as a guide, not a scoreboard. Chasing higher numbers can backfire.
- Adjust when team members change. A new team structure may affect the pace.
- Pair it with a burndown chart. Together, they tell a fuller story.
- Archive your velocity data. Past trends can help you plan future iterations.
- Don’t compare across teams. Each team size works differently.
- Keep it visible. Post it in a visible location where the team can see and refer to it regularly.
Considerations for Successfully Using Velocity Charts
Velocity charts are helpful when a team completes a well-defined requirement. The chart will not accurately reflect progress when user stories are too broad or carry over.
Velocity is not about hitting higher numbers; it is about consistency. A steady, predictable pace gives more value than chasing a fluctuating sprint total.
Remember, each scrum team works differently. One team’s 20-point sprint might match another’s 40. Use velocity to track progress at the team level, rather than measuring one team against another.
Wrapping Up: Download the Velocity Chart Template from ROSEMET
Velocity charts help teams visualize their pace, supporting better decision-making and planning. When the process aligns with your team, it eliminates the guesswork from managing work across multiple sprints.
ROSEMET’s Velocity Chart Template makes this even easier. It is ready to use, flexible for different workflows, and built to help you track team performance without adding overhead. Download it and start working from real numbers so your team can confidently plan.
References
Atlassian. (2025, March). View and understand the velocity chart. Atlassian Support. https://support.atlassian.com/jira-software-cloud/docs/view-and-understand-the-velocity-chart/
Cohn, M. (2025, March). Know exactly what velocity means to your Scrum team. Mountain Goat Software. https://www.mountaingoatsoftware.com/blog/know-exactly-what-velocity-means-to-your-scrum-team
Doshi, P. (2018, May). Agile metrics: Velocity. Scrum.org. https://www.scrum.org/resources/blog/agile-metrics-velocity
