Zoho Sprints calculates velocity automatically from closed sprints. The Reports section shows a velocity chart that plots completed story points sprint by sprint as a bar graph. The rolling average across the last three to five sprints gives a reliable planning baseline. When planning a new sprint, the team uses this average to decide how many story points to pull from the backlog without over-committing.
Velocity is most useful after a team has completed at least three sprints with consistent membership and sprint length, giving enough data for a meaningful average. Product owners use it to estimate release dates by dividing the total backlog points by the average velocity. It also helps managers set realistic delivery expectations with clients without relying on gut estimates.
Velocity is team-specific and should never be used to compare two different teams, as their point scales and working styles differ. Adding new team members temporarily reduces velocity for one or two sprints as the team adjusts. Zoho Sprints only counts story points from stories marked Done by sprint close, so partially completed stories do not inflate the number.
A Pune-based SaaS company has completed six sprints with velocities of 38, 42, 40, 35, 44, and 41 points. Their average velocity is 40 points. When the product owner wants to know how many more sprints are needed to ship a 200-point backlog, the team estimates five more sprints, giving a target date to share with the client.
A minimum of three completed sprints with the same team composition gives a usable baseline. Five or more sprints produce a stable average. If the team changes significantly, such as losing or adding two or more members, treat the next two sprints as a reset period before relying on the new velocity figure.
Velocity drops when stories are not fully completed by sprint end or when the team included too many uncertain, large-pointed stories that took longer than expected. It also drops after public holidays, team leave, or scope changes mid-sprint. Review the burndown chart alongside velocity to identify which factor caused the drop.
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