How is velocity on the Release burndown actually calculated

Question

I cannot come up with the same velocity number JIRA is showing me on the Release Burndown chart. For example, I just closed a sprint and JIRA is telling me our velocity per sprint is 50 yet no numbers I find anywhere get me to this number.

The documentation says it's different from the velocity on the Velocity chart. Great, I get that. But how is it calculated then? Where do I find the numbers that go into the calculation?

I've searched high and low for a straight answer to this question and haven't found one. If anyone knows, I'll be forever grateful if you would explain.

Danut M _StonikByte_ · Answer

Try the Great Gadgets add-on (see https://marketplace.atlassian.com/plugins/com.ston ikbyte.great.gadgets.plugin/cloud/overview). It offers both Release Burndown and Velocity Gadgets, which are simple and easy to use.

Tony Laycock · Answer

Hi Jim,

I'm sure you found the official docs page already:

https://confluence.atlassian.com/agile/jira-agile-user-s-guide/using-a-board/using-reports/viewing-the-release-burndown

But did you notice the 'Other Functionality' section with folded questions/answers, down near the bottom?

Some of those folds explain the differences from sprint velocity calculation.

My simplistic understanding is that sprint velocity does not give credit for delivering scope creep, on the basis that you should assume it will happen again next sprint.  Whereas release burndown accounts for what was actually marked as done even if scope /estimates change post commitment.

Alok Singh2 · Answer

The velocity can be estimated as the average, over several recent sprints, of the sum of the estimates for the amount of work completed by a team per sprint. So let's take into consideration :

Sprint       Commitment        Completed

1                40                          40

2                53                          46

3                66                          40

So the current velocity after Sprint-3 would be (40 + 46 + 40)/3 = 42

Velocity is a measure to predict how much work can be completed by the team in a future sprint.