TABLE OF CONTENTS
Overview
Project delivery in agile software development hinges on the ability to predict team performance within a set timeframe. Zenhub’s Velocity Reports leverage historical data to provide insights into team capacity, trends in performance, and inform continuous improvement.
When to Use the Velocity Report
Zenhub’s Velocity Reports are essential for:
- Assessing the team's capability to handle workload during sprints or weeks.
- Monitoring the consistency of value delivery and identifying performance trends.
- Planning for future sprints or weeks with data-driven capacity predictions.
- Evaluating process efficiency and team contributions to project velocity.
Basics of the Velocity Report
Locating the Velocity Report
Access the report by navigating to the "Reports" tab and selecting "Velocity Report". The default view presents data for open and recent sprints, milestones, or weeks within the last three months.
Interpreting the Velocity Report
- Average Velocity: Illustrated by a blue line, indicating the mean team velocity for the time frame.
- Rolling Velocity: A green line shows the average velocity for the current and previous five sprints or weeks.
- Metric Cards: Provide quick access to average velocity, current rolling velocity, and the change in rolling velocity.
- Completion Metrics: The charts show the number of closed issues compared to the total assigned for each sprint or milestone. For weekly tracking, it shows completed issues for the weeks in view.
- Custom Filters: Apply granular filters for tailored insights.
- Data Interaction: Hover over bars for detailed velocity breakdowns.
Features
Basic Filtering Options
Customize reports using filters for repository, label, sprint, milestone, and time logic to focus on relevant project areas.
| Filter | Why is it helpful for Velocity Reports? |
|---|---|
| Repo | Limits issues to one or more repositories |
| Label | Limits issues categorized under specific labels for more nuanced understanding |
| Sprints | Default time scale for teams using Sprints development cycles |
| Week | Default time scale for teams that are not using Sprints development cycles |
| Milestones | Additional time scale for project milestones with or without Sprints |
Extended Date Ranges
Analyze project velocity with reports spanning up to one year for in-depth trend analysis and strategic planning.
Velocity for “Open, but Done” Issues
Reflect your team's "Completed" Pipelines in the Velocity Report, even if they differ from the Closed state.
Excluding Time Periods for Precise Velocity Insights
Refine velocity calculations by omitting sprints or weeks that don't reflect normal operations, such as holidays or team events. This exclusion helps maintain the accuracy of your team's average velocity, ensuring reliable data for future sprint planning. Simply uncheck the periods you wish to exclude directly in the Velocity Report to adjust your metrics.
Detailed Data Table Analysis
The table beneath the Velocity Report graph offers a detailed view of each Sprint, Milestone, or Week:
- Metrics Displayed: Shows Completed Story Points and/or Story Points Planned for each period.
- Interactive Analysis:
- Hover Functionality: When you hover over a row or cell, the graph dynamically highlights the corresponding data, facilitating a clear understanding of how each item contributes to the overall velocity.
- Selective Filtering: Clicking on a row, column, or cell activates a filter, isolating the issue view to those items only. This is particularly useful for focusing on specific sprints or milestones for in-depth analysis.
Support for Diverse Team Structures
Zenhub's Velocity Report is designed to accommodate a variety of team workflows, ensuring valuable insights regardless of the team's sprint practices.
- Sprint-Based Teams: For those utilizing sprint cycles, the report adeptly tracks velocity, aligning with the sprint-based approach to project management.
- Non-Sprint Teams: Recognizing that not all teams operate on sprint cycles, the Velocity Report is equally effective for teams that follow a week-based approach. This adaptation ensures that teams not practicing traditional sprints can still benefit from comprehensive velocity analysis and reporting, making the tool versatile and inclusive for diverse project management methodologies.
Inclusivity for All Users
Velocity Report extends its functionality to non-GitHub-connected users and offers support for Zenhub Issues. This ensures a seamless experience for a broader range of users besides developers, allowing them to see the team’s velocity even when they are not connected to GitHub. They can also benefit from the Velocity Reports calculations if they are using Zenhub issues.
Exporting the and Sharing the Velocity Report
Share the Velocity Report with non-Zenhub users easily:
- Navigate to your Velocity Report in Zenhub.
- Click on the “Share” option.
- Chooseto either:
- Copy a Link: Generate a shareable link for quick access.
- Export to CSV: Download the report as a CSV file for detailed analysis or offline sharing.
This streamlined process allows for efficient sharing of velocity insights with external stakeholders.
FAQ
Q:Why do my Velocity Report figures differ from sprint to sprint?
A: Variations in the Velocity Report from sprint to sprint can occur due to several factors such as changes in team size, complexity of tasks, varying work scopes, and the natural ebb and flow of team productivity. It's important to analyze these figures within the context of specific sprints and external influences that may affect the team's performance.
Q: What could cause a reduction in my team’s velocity?
A: Factors affecting velocity may include organizational changes, economic conditions, team composition changes, estimation variances, or scope adjustments.
Q: Why do I see different velocity information than my teammate?
A: Differences may arise from various access levels or selections within Zenhub. Ensure visibility to all relevant repositories and check that filters are appropriately set.