Metrics Matter

Improving something starts with understanding it. This is why metrics and data are essential in the world of Agile transformation, depended upon for their capacity to provide the insights necessary to drive operational decisions and outcomes.

Metrics are useful for many reasons. They allow us to measure the current state of our efforts, compare this against desired outcomes, and provide feedback on how successful these efforts have been. Metric data can even be used to help identify opportunities for improvement, especially when other approaches have failed. Ultimately, metrics allow us to quantify what is working, what is not, and how much work it will take to get the results we are looking for.

Let’s get real about why metrics are really-important…modernizing a workforce through upskilling and hiring top talent, infrastructure changes, decoupled architectures, Governance Risk Management & Compliance (GRC) incorporation, and perhaps most important, coaching, training and supporting business executives through the cultural change curve.  All of these are very costly to a company in dollars and resource capacity.  Backing up fact from fiction with quality metrics means a much faster buy-in and sustained support from business executives for transformation.

The Continuous Evaluation Of Metrics

Consistently measuring the success of our efforts is a crucial point in creating a disciplined approach to Agile transformation. This can be accomplished by regularly comparing our current status against stated performance goals and targets, as well as by evaluating this data over time to determine if we are trending in the right direction or not. For these evaluations to be at all useful, however, it is critical that we have defined metrics in the first place. Without clarity of purpose and specificity of measurement, there can be no basis for comparison or informed decision making.

Learning From The Data

The data we collect should also be evaluated for what it is telling us. Sometimes, the insights we receive from metric analysis will be obvious and direct; other times, these messages will require a bit more interpretation. The point is that simply tracking and comparing our numbers every so often isn’t enough to guarantee positive gains over time; we also need to understand what these numbers are revealing and use that understanding to inform our next steps.

Pivoting Or Staying The Course Based On Data-Driven Facts

This is where the real value of metrics can be found; in fact, it’s one of the primary reasons why Agile transformation efforts even attempt to quantify success. Rather than basing our decisions on gut feelings or anecdotal evidence, metrics provide us with hard data that we can use to drive continuous improvement and adapt plans accordingly.

In the same way, it is important to understand that metrics will change from one time period to the next. This being so, we need to have a system in place for re-evaluating our efforts as this data changes and evolves over time. Letting things stay the same out of fear or ignorance is an easy trap to fall into; we cannot simply ignore bad news and hope it will go away, nor should we blindly embrace good news without questioning whether this is really the best course of action.

Ultimately, success becomes a matter of fact when we make use of metrics to help us understand the dynamics at play within our efforts. With the right tools and information, we can avoid common pitfalls and ensure that our efforts to improve Agile metrics will yield results.