CONCEPT
Velocity Metrics Critique
The Goldratt simulation's diagnosis of story points, sprint velocity, and related Agile metrics as measurements of the non-constraint — locally rational, systemically misleading in the AI era.
Velocity Metrics Critique is the Goldratt simulation's application of constraint theory to the measurement frameworks dominating contemporary software development. Story points, sprint velocity, feature counts, deployment frequency — the standard metrics of Agile and DevOps culture — measure the rate at which engineering produces output. When coordination was the constraint, these metrics had some validity as indirect proxies for system throughput, since engineering output was limited by coordination and improving coordination improved engineering output. In the AI era, the metrics have become measurements of the non-constraint, and their celebration produces the exact pattern Goldratt spent his career diagnosing: locally improving metrics, systemically degrading outcomes.
In The You On AI Field Guide
The critique applies with specific force to sprint velocity tracking. Sprint velocity measures how many story points a team completes in a sprint. Teams that increase their velocity are celebrated as improving; teams whose velocity declines are examined for dysfunction. The measurement assumes that completed story points correspond to system value — that more points