Glossary Velocity
Velocity
AgileScrum
Definition
How much backlog a team finishes per sprint, in whatever unit it estimates in — points, stories, items — averaged over recent sprints
A planning instrument, not a performance score: it answers "how much can we take on next sprint" from what was actually finished before. Comparing velocities between teams, or pushing one up as a target, breaks the only thing it is good for.
The moment velocity becomes a goal it stops being a measurement. Estimates inflate, the number rises, and the forecast it was meant to support is gone.