Focusing on Business Value When Measuring Progress
In the Software Engineering industry, progress is measured in various ways. Yet, the most common method is through story points, which assess the effort put into a task rather than the time taken. Focusing on time can lead to the team prioritizing low-value tasks to complete them within the sprint. This approach must be more accurate as the primary focus should be delivering business value. The only proof of progress is working software, not any burnout chart.
The issue of measuring effort becomes even more complex when dealing with bugs. Using activity metrics to assess progress creates the wrong incentives for prioritization. Bugs arise when the problem is more profound than what was expected. Since software requires constant maintenance, it is never finished. The best way to measure progress is by focusing on the changes the feature or application aims to bring about rather than team behavior. While activity metrics help check team collaboration, they cannot reflect progress.
Fake User Stories create a potential disconnect between what the team pushes out and what the business sponsors care about. User stories that don’t produce any significant outcome for the business. Independent and valuable are often difficult to reconcile with these types of stories. The value of software is a vague and esoteric concept in the domain of business users. Still, task size is controlled by a delivery team, so many couples choose size over value.
The software industry still needs to work on enjoying true agility. A practical approach to Agile follows a transparent, open environment to avoid micro-management. The fear of uncertainty forces people to create processes and limit responsibilities. Separate teams should use their extra time to uncover opportunities and create value for the business. Failure is uncertain and scary, yet, when teams do everything to prevent losses, they also reduce innovation. Practical Agile or Agility is a mental shift toward producing value beyond feature development. Good collaboration removes some of the blocks people have to do their jobs but only sometimes makes them more skilled.
