Software Delivery
Engineering Velocity: Beyond Story Points and Sprints
Engineering velocity has become a central concern for software teams and technology leaders seeking to maximize business impact. Yet, velocity is too often misunderstood, reduced to simple tallies of story points completed or sprints run. While these agile metrics offer surface-level indicators of progress, they fail to capture the holistic picture required for effective decision-making and continuous improvement.
In this comprehensive post, we’ll explore how engineering velocity should be measured, why legacy metrics like story points and sprint counts fall short, and which modern, actionable metrics—powered by platforms such as Gitrolysis—can provide deeper insights into product engineering effectiveness. Whether you’re a CTO, engineering manager, team lead, or developer, understanding the full landscape of engineering velocity will enable smarter strategies, faster feedback cycles, and higher performing teams.