June 26, 2025 
Sprint velocity has long been the go-to metric in Agile. It’s simple: how many story points a team delivers per sprint. But here’s the catch—velocity can lie. And if you’re using it to judge progress, productivity, or predictability, you might be seeing a distorted view of reality.
Let’s dig into why sprint velocity isn’t always reliable, what it actually tells you (and doesn’t), and what metrics you should use instead to lead smarter.
1. Velocity Measures Quantity, Not Quality
Velocity only tells you how much was “delivered”—not how well it was built, tested, or whether it created value. A team can rack up high velocity with:
- Buggy releases
- Technical debt
- Low-value features
📚 Further Reading: Why Agile Metrics Matter – Mountain Goat Software
2. It’s Easy to Game
Velocity is based on estimates. Teams can inflate story points or redefine what counts as “done” to hit targets—especially under pressure.
Result: You get the illusion of progress, while product outcomes stall.
📚 Further Reading: The Problem With Story Points – Thoughtworks
3. Velocity Varies Across Team
Every team estimates differently. Comparing velocity across teams is like comparing kilometers to miles—misleading and counterproductive.
Tip: Don’t use it for cross-team performance evaluation.
📚 More Insight: Story Points Are Relative – Home
4. It Doesn’t Reveal Delivery Health
Velocity ignores essential aspects of project health, such as:
- Lead time (idea to delivery)
- Cycle time (ticket start to finish)
- Bug rate after deployment
- Dev satisfaction and burnout risk
These give you a clearer picture of how sustainable and efficient your team truly is.
📚 Further Reading: Engineering Metrics That Matter – LinearB
So… What Should You Measure Instead
If you want real visibility into how your team is doing, shift focus to these:
✅ Cycle Time – Measures how long it takes to complete a task once work starts. Lower is better.
✅ Lead Time – Tracks time from idea to release. Helps you forecast better.
✅ Deployment Frequency – Indicates how often you ship working software.
✅ Escaped Defects – Tracks bugs found in production. Quality matters.
✅ Team Health Metrics – Use anonymous surveys to gauge morale and stress levels.
📚 Further Reading: DORA Metrics Explained – Atlassian
📚 Explore More: 4 Key DevOps Metrics – Atlassian
Final Word
Velocity isn’t evil—it’s just incomplete. It works as an internal planning tool, not a performance report card. To grow sustainably, look beyond velocity and build a richer dashboard of delivery health.
🚀 Want help defining the right metrics for your team? Book an agile delivery audit with OCTAGT and get clarity that velocity alone can’t give you.
Let’s stop chasing points—and start measuring what really matters.