Which is a reason velocity could unexpectedly drop?

• A. Velocity may drop due to more meetings
• B. Velocity drops if there is more automation
• C. Velocity may unexpectedly drop when the Developers runs into technical debt while attempting to complete new Product Backlog items.
• D. Velocity always increases

Answer: (C)

Velocity is the amount of work the team completes in a sprint, usually measured in story points. It's a historical measure used for planning, not a guaranteed rate. It can drop when Developers run into technical debt while tackling new Product Backlog items because addressing that debt—refactoring, debugging, or fixing defects—takes time away from delivering completed items. The extra maintenance work reduces how much backlog is truly finished in the sprint, causing velocity to fall unexpectedly. While meetings or other factors can influence capacity, and automation often speeds things up, the clearest reason for an unexpected drop is the time spent paying down technical debt. Velocity doesn’t always increase.