Agile Metrics and Value Management

Introduction

As in any business, agile organizations must ensure profitability, compliance, and traceability. Agile is a powerful framework, but if it is not delivering value, why use it? Organizations need qualitative and quantitative measurements to ensure expectations are being properly satisfied. Agile metrics should not only measure if you are delivering business value, but also maintaining a healthy team based on a reasonable capacity load.

However, in a framework that is grounded by flexibility and not being locked down by processes, measuring its success can sometimes be a challenge, especially when compared to traditional top-down, ROI-type metrics. The bottom-up structure of agile requires a different means of measurement, one that places value on what drives your priorities. Furthermore, the measurement framework must be based on agile tools, such as story points, the backlog and business value.

This class includes lessons on developing the right metrics and KPIs within Kanban, Scrum and/or Scaled Agile environments, such as SAFe. Students will learn to architect and measure success for their organization by taking a specific agile organizational scenario from start to finish. Leave class with a framework to take back and use within your specific organization!

Objectives

At the end of this course students will be able to:

• Understand the role of metrics in agile techniques and practices. 
• Know the roles of those involved in value management and metrics, and the moments involved in the work cycle. 
• Understand what value management looks like in agile environments and how to carry it out.
• Identify “key” metrics (KPIs) within your Portfolio, Program, and/or Team
• Create a normalized KPI foundation based on story and business value points
• Understand traceability across various levels of KPIs
• Ensure that their KPIs are valid and valuable
• Understand how NOT to skew, misunderstand, and misinterpret agile metrics
• Ensure the metrics support a healthy backlog and healthy management of team capacity
• Design an executive dashboard at a Portfolio level
• Develop feature burndown charts using business value metrics at the Team and Program level
• Understand how to help portfolio and program management make better long-term decisions
• Best keep management informed about team capacity and progress
• Provide the right level of detail to the right audience

Student Profile

Those with previous experience in project management and in agile frameworks, especially Scrum and Kanban, who want to have tools to measure and properly manage teams, programs, and organizations, and evaluate their results. Those involved in transformation processes that require means to measure their impact.   

Prerequisites

Students should have knowledge of project management and be familiar with the philosophy of agile work, specifically with the Scrum and Kanban frameworks.

Course Materials

Each student will receive a copy of the course documentation prepared by Netmind.

Methodology

Engaging and interactive course. Our instructors teach all course materials using the demonstrative method; the participants learn new concepts through exercises and real application practices.

Certification

There isn’t an official certification associated with this course. However, students will earn 7 credit hours for their attendance.

Accreditation

A certificate of attendance will be issued to students who attend the course for at least 75% of the duration.

Course Outline

1. Identify KPIs that Matter
   1. Learn how “success” is defined in an organization
   2. Discuss common mistakes made in measuring success
   3. Understand the difference between “doing” agile and “being” agile
2. KPI Traceability and Value Chain
   1. Determine the audience for metrics
   2. Define categories of “agile metrics”
   3. Understand their information needs
   4. Know what defines different types of “success”:
      1. Business success
      2. Solution option success
      3. Solution delivery success
      4. Individual success
      5. Team success
      6. Team-to-team success
3. Techniques for Reporting KPIs
   1. Differentiate between descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive metrics
   2. Understand the value of visualization
   3. Review common tracking techniques
4. Agile Metrics Workshop – Build KPIs
   1. Define metrics that matter
   2. Create graphics and visuals that have impact
5. Misleading Metrics – What Can Go Wrong?
   1. Understand how fear changes behavior
   2. Learn the impact of bad behavior on metrics
   3. Identify mitigation techniques
6. Post Class Action Plan
   1. Course summary
   2. Develop an Action Plan with next steps on the student’s current project
   3. Student questions/discussion topics