« Scrum Gathering May 2005 in Boston - Rough Notes | Main | Amplify Learning »

Share this post: del.icio.us Reddit


Bureaucracy Blues? Chaos Crisis? Learn the middle way to excellence with agile work methods. Berteig Consulting Inc. offers proven Agile Project Management training and coaching.


May 12, 2005

Appropriate Metrics - Continued

Lean Metrics... are Lean


In the book Lean Software Development by Mary and Tom Poppendieck, there are a small number of references to metrics: process cycle time, process cycle efficiency, business models. Lean practices focus very much on diagnostic metrics that are used to help people find and eliminate waste and improve value and quality. The other aspect of metrics is to measure up for purposes of motivation and performance measurement.

Conclusions for Scrum and Agile in General

Don't prescribe specific metrics!

Agile work is about an empirical process where a team responds to change, learns, and self-regulates. An agile team has the power to choose their own metrics for their own self-inspection. For upper management, the single economic driver that is part of the "Good to Great" process should be sufficient.

See also: Appropriate Metrics and A Metric Leading to Success.

Related articles can be found in the following categories:
, , ,

I also maintain a page of references and recommended links to materials related to agile methods.

Posted by Mishkin Berteig at May 12, 2005 07:14 PM

|


Blind-sided by change? Don't fight it - embrace change by learning Agile Work practices. Berteig Consulting Inc. offers proven Agile Project Management training and coaching.