Engineering leaders are often told to “increase sprint velocity.” But let’s be honest—just saying those words can trigger anxiety in even the most seasoned developers. Why? Because it often feels like code for “work faster” or “do more with less.”
But here’s the truth: your team doesn’t need pressure—they need clarity, support, and the right environment. If their work is easier to do, it will naturally get done faster. Increasing velocity isn’t about cracking the whip; it’s about removing friction and empowering your team to thrive.
Here’s how to do just that.
1. Reduce Complexity
Complexity is the silent killer of velocity. The more unclear or convoluted a task is, the longer it takes to complete—and the more mistakes it invites.
Here’s how to reduce complexity:
- Break down big problems. Tackle large tasks by splitting them into smaller, manageable pieces. Smaller scope equals faster delivery.
- Invest in documentation. Good documentation is like a trail map for your codebase. Allocate around 25% of your team’s time to keeping documentation up to date. This pays off exponentially during onboarding, debugging, and knowledge transfer.
- Refine requirements. Avoid ambiguity. While 100% clarity is impossible, your goal should be “clear enough to proceed.” Encourage the team to ask questions and clarify blockers early.
- Define simple but detailed acceptance criteria. Good criteria reduce back-and-forth and rework, and help everyone know what “done” looks like.
2. Build a Culture of Training
If your team doesn’t have the right skills, velocity suffers. It’s that simple.
- Upskill intentionally. Ask your developers where they want to grow and determine what skills they need to support the workload. Then provide them with the resources to learn.
- Use senior engineers as force multipliers. Instead of locking your most experienced devs into hero delivery roles, assign them to mentor and guide junior and mid-level teammates. This improves team-wide performance over time.
3. Maximize Focus Time
Context switching is a productivity killer. Your team needs uninterrupted blocks of time to do deep work.
- Protect calendars. Create dedicated focus hours or “no meeting” blocks, and enforce them.
- Establish ‘work days’ vs. ‘meeting days’. Set expectations about when team members are expected to collaborate versus when they can focus independently.
4. Foster Accountability (With Empathy)
Accountability isn’t about blame—it’s about visibility and communication.
- Encourage early blockers. If someone is stuck, they should feel safe and empowered to speak up immediately—ideally in daily stand-ups. No one should be blocked an entire sprint without the team knowing.
- Address communication gaps. If someone repeatedly fails to raise blockers, it’s a sign something deeper may be wrong—confidence, clarity, or psychological safety. Work with them to uncover the root cause and provide support, whether through pairing, training, or coaching.
5. Test & Refine Your Process
There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to development workflows. What works for one org may not work for yours.
- Continuously iterate. Regularly assess your team’s process. If something feels off—even if it’s “standard”—don’t be afraid to change it.
- Improve bug reporting. Encourage detailed reproduction steps (e.g., browser, device, click path, screenshots, short videos). This reduces time spent deciphering vague tickets.
Don’t Trade Quality for Speed
Yes, velocity matters. But chasing speed at the expense of quality is a trap.
When you cut corners to deliver faster, you’re not just accruing technical debt—you’re also setting unrealistic expectations with clients and creating a culture of burnout. Fast delivery doesn’t mean sustainable delivery.
TL;DR
If you want to increase your team’s velocity, don’t just tell them to “go faster.” Instead:
- Reduce complexity
- Invest in training
- Maximize focus time
- Promote accountability
- Continuously improve your process
And above all, don’t sacrifice quality for speed. Empower your team with the tools, clarity, and support they need—and high performance will follow.