Velocity is Bullshit 💩
Focus on Outcomes, Not Output
When I first stepped into engineering leadership, I treated velocity like a scoreboard.
Sprint after sprint, I measured team output obsessively.
I thought: “If we hit more points, we’re improving.”
Wrong.
Very wrong.
Velocity isn’t useful for performance.
It’s a lagging indicator, it tells you what’s been done, but not whether it mattered.
Focusing on velocity often leads teams to optimize for speed over substance.
We ship “done” tickets that don’t deliver real value.
What really matters is solving the right problems
Are users better off after our release?
Are we learning and iterating toward impact?
Shift your mindset
♻️ Replace "How many story points?" with “What’s the outcome?”
♻️ Talk to stakeholders about results, not just delivery
♻️ Use data to measure impact, not just completion
A team that ships with purpose beats a team that sprints in circles, always.
Explore further
Don’t mess up like me, learn from my mistakes.
Check this video out for more mindset-shifting inspiration 👇
