Metrics for Agile

As a Manager or Senior Manager, we track Agile projects. Most common metrics we should be tracking while overseeing a project are:-

Agile:-


Basic metrics we track in an Agile project are


* Sprint Burndown chart
Scrum teams pull out a certain scope from top of the Product Backlog into a time-boxed sprint. This report tracks the completion of work through the sprint and tells whether we are on track to meet the sprint goals.  X-axis represents time and y-axis refers to the amount of work left to complete, measured in story points or hours. Meeting the Sprint goal is completing all the forecasted work for the Sprint


Things to watch out for:-
*** Burndown line is not a gradual burndown but steep drops --> Scope is not being divided into manageable chunks i.e. < 4-6 hrs
*** Scope is getting added or changed mid way through a sprint
*** Meeting Sprint goals early each sprint --> Scrum team is not committing to enough scope
*** Missing Sprint goals every sprint --> Scrum team is committing to more scope than can deliver


* Epic Burndown / Release Burndown (planned vs. actual in terms of story points)
Important we track this metric, to keep a tab on overall scope. This indicates whether we are adding new requirements mid way and is a good metric to check the status of the release

* Velocity
Velocity is the average amount of work a scrum team completes during a sprint, measured in either story points or hours, and is very useful for forecasting.

* Defects
Though not a common Agile metric, as part of our waterfall gene we carry, we tend to watch the following metrics also as a good practice as this related to the quality of the deliverables


*** How many defects are found during development?
*** How many defects are found after release to customers?
*** How many defects are found by people outside of the team?
*** How many defects are deferred to a future release?
*** How many customer support requests are coming in on our delivered code?
*** What is the percentage of automated test coverage?

Governance using Agile Metrics
The above agile metrics surely gives a quantitative insight into the team's performance and provide measurable goals for the team

In practice, Sprint Burndown should be looked at during daily stand up calls along with the Scrum team.

Sprint Burndown, Epic Burndown and Defects related metrics should be explained out as appropriate to team during the retrospective meetings, while we answer the 3W's  - what went well, what didn't go well, what can we do better.

Output of retrospective meetings, should include actions items on continuous improvement feedback to ourselves as a scrum team and also with onsite/customer especially as this is the data point to be shown when scope creeps continue to happen during the sprint, which aids to not meeting the Sprint goals and having to re-plan every time and will be chaos in tracking the sprint goals

While the agile metrics are important, don't get obsessed. Listening to the team's feedback during retrospectives is equally important in growing trust across the team, working as a team, quality in the product, and development speed through the release process. Use both the quantitative and qualitative feedback in tracking the projects.

Most common agile tools are JIRA, Team Foundation Server, Grasshopper

Basic documents we use in Agile are Product Backlog, Release Backlog, Sprint Backlog, User Story Acceptance Criteria, Technical Design Approach, Retrospective notes,

Lesson: Stakeholder Support/Requirements Mgmt/Design

Let's see how stakeholder support on all process areas is crucial for project success!

A Stakeholder who doesn’t push his people to gather the requirements elaborately is also allowing ownership and accountability to be slacking.

First stepping stone of success is failing.

Incomplete requirements capture leads to everything partially done and will fail during UAT testing, where you will have the team doing requirements and mockups when they have to certify and release to production.

Precious time, effort, money is lost due to a simple mistake like not capturing requirements fully and not paying attention to design

Developers who develop will be discovering questions as they develop, and as a result, design and coding need to change.

Project Deadline is never met, as we are failing in multiple disciplines of Project Delivery Requirements Management, Design including Project Management 

Stakeholder Management

Stakeholder Management as part of PMP has a lot of importance in real time and impacts revenue recognition, pipeline, cost, time. We gain this insight and effects mostly through experience and as part of guidance by our mentors and leaders in projects.

Standard Stages in Stakeholder Management are Identify Stakeholders, Plan Stakeholder Management, Manage Stakeholder Management, Control Stakeholder Management

Each of the below points should be studied as a case study with real examples, imbibe it strongly and ensure we plan properly:-

Please feel free to comment on additional things so others can learn from your experience

1) Stakeholder Change: 
It takes time to establish a trusted relationship and is often based on quality deliverables, good governance, good channels of communication, our delivery track record etc...

When this key customer stakeholder moves out of the equation, we need to start it all over with the new stakeholder.

This person's working style; priorities; needs; previous vendor preferences; their comfort with them;  getting things done; being there for consultation; walking their corridors, needs to be considered.

You need show the similar or higher technical and management prowess, attention and availability, good intentions to make them succeed. It involves writing a stakeholder plan and each party play their role.

2) Stakeholder Support across all stages of the project
Stakeholder support and prioritization towards your strategic initiative/project is a very important success factor.

If resources are being diverted over to other business as usual and urgent activities, it means they are steering the time and effort away from your current project and might not be giving required importance to make this project succeed. Any of the success factors failing will have an impact on the project.

Stakeholder support is required to clear obstacles fast, make decisions fast,  is equally important. If proper Stakeholder support is not being given, ensure you brace up with proper communication. Dipping into your sphere of influence to get required support can be done proactively to minimize the impact.

3) Regular Monthly Stakeholder Meeting for communication of expectations vs. reality from beginning to end. In case of crisis, weekly stakeholder meeting, to ensure it is going as per expectations and plan set

4) Expectations of internal stakeholders, leading to activities over and above other important activities required to achieve the project goal

5) Stakeholder current situation and priorities affecting the continuity

6) Communication on critical emails regarding milestones, risks, issues, delays, payments to stakeholders should be carefully drafted to preserve the interests of the company and SOW, which might be beneficial for future legal arbitration purposes.

Yesterday we had a meeting, tomorrow it will be delivered

When the teams don't track their action items from meetings and don't capture Minutes of Meetings, they will always fall into this category where they will try to remember what is open and that they will be asked in tomorrow's meeting. Scramble and try to have a quick meeting, make slight progress and get an update to present in the meeting.

They will then say, we had a meeting yesterday and here is the progress.

Ideally, everyone needs to pick up the action items immediately, so there are enough follow up sessions possible and the action item can be brought to closure as required and well before the next meeting.

Else we fall into the section wherein the meeting we will update saying, we had a meeting yesterday, and here is the update, we will get it fixed tomorrow

My ten commandments in IT management

1. Customers and Sr. Management never likes surprises
• Things might not go as planned and it is ok, but communicate the bad news early on as risks and not as issues in the last minute.
• It gives a chance for senior management to mitigate the risks and prepare for contingency plans
• It helps management to set expectations on the delays with customer/business users.
2. Know the customer business and identify the problems
• Suggest solutions as you are the best person who knows all and can bring in your expertise
3. Use the strengths of the team
1. Every resource will have his strength, unless hopeless. Use them in projects well
2. Instead of cribbing and complaining, develop the weakness of the members
3. Identify the strengths and place them in the right project and role
4. Teach how to fish
• Mentor the team members in estimating, planning, tracking and communicating risks and issues and status of the tasks.
• This goes a long way in developing them into Architects, Leads and Managers
5. Importance of TO-DO list for each team member to track their work without follow-ups
6. Proactive Risk management and communication with stakeholders on risks and issues
7. Daily status check for deliverables and communication to management
8. Mentor them to always get peer reviews done for the deliverables as a standard process for an eye on quality
9. Trust the team member and cultivate ownership and accountability by each and every member
10. Prompt decision making on risks and issues as the highest priority

Somethings gets added as we experience new lessons in life

1. Emails to Customer/Vendor which involves financial implications should be drafted carefully

2. Stakeholder who takes the risks raised by Project Manager lightly and doesn't act, is risking the outcome of the project at PM's expense.

Get Your Team to Follow Through After a Meeting

After a meeting ends, it can be challenging to keep your team motivated and focused on doing the agreed-upon tasks. 

Of course, you need to end the meeting with clear agreement on specific actions and completion dates for each item, but that’s not enough. 

Ask people to speak up if they realize they won’t be able to deliver on an action item. 

Assign someone to track and follow up on action items between meetings. 

And keep a running tally of which items get done, aiming for an 85% completion rate. 

But don’t let the tracking turn you into a taskmaster. 

Be compassionate and understanding if things come up and people aren’t able to meet their deadlines. 

But if team members continually drop the ball, have a frank and open discussion about what needs to change.

Whether agile or not, try to have retrospective meeting with all stakeholders till the team and deliverables sink into the team's game

Getting Better at Handling Disappointments

Disappointments are inevitable and unpleasant whether a missed promotion, a failed project, or a poor investment, but you can always learn something from them. Though this comes at a cost, it is a lesson for future

To constructively deal with your next setback, think through what happened. 

Distinguish situations that were predictable and preventable from those that were unavoidable and beyond your control. 

Ruminating over something that didn’t go your way — and that you couldn’t control — will only frustrate you further. 

For situations that you could have handled differently, consider them in positive terms: 

What can you do differently next time? 
What lessons can you learn from the mistakes you made? 
And remind yourself of what’s going well in your life, so you don’t let the disappointment take an outsize role in your brain. 

It might sound like a cliché, but keep the setback in perspective — and try to let it go. 

You may be tempted to play the situation over and over in your head, but staying preoccupied with it will only create unnecessary stress.

Millennials Saving Strategies

Not many Millennials get their sound Financial 101 principles either during college or listen to parents when they say you need to save before you spend.

Whether it is purchasing power of the Millennials or peer pressure to have a better phone like others or pure love to the latest gadgets, buying a smartphone is almost a mandatory purchase during the first year of their earnings

They also end up spending more on eating out, partying, or online shopping.

They, however, reduce their spend on rental by staying with 3-4 roommates.

Everyone gets a credit card, and by the time the monthly salary is in the bank, the credit card statement stares (this is not just for millennials but for all age groups where spending comes first and save comes last and there is no look at where the money is going)

If people in their early 20s, can set aside at least 30% of their salary towards investments towards, EPF, PPF, FDs, Equities, Metals like Gold, Land, etc. they can have a comfortable corpus during their retirement days, or else years pass-by without savings, expenses rise, living comfortable lifestyles. before it is too late.

Someone who can save his pocket money and invest from an early age like 14 yrs.. itself or from their very first paycheck and increase investments with each addition of the family, can even retire early.

Time people spend on whatsapp, facebook, if diverted to finding where to invest and how much his investment is making money, you can have a comfortable life