As an agile leader,
I want to confirm that teams are demonstrating agile values, methods and techniques as expected,
So that I can understand what is working well and what needs improvement.
Performance Circle: Affirming
Perform “Gemba Walks” using passive observation techniques.
Conduct retrospectives with cross-functional teams to help team members self-realize the importance of agile values and have sufficient knowledge of the expected behaviors in a healthy agile organization.
Gather feedback and information from metrics and surveys and use it to improve performance.
Holon: Understanding
Understanding is a holon within the Affirming performance circle. The Understanding holon contains the actions and ceremonies required to collect and analyze metrics in order to understand team and organizational performance and quality. This understanding leads to corresponding actions needed to improve target areas.
Objective
As an agile leader,
I want to know if we are receiving the benefits of agile adoption,
So that the business can understand its performance and find ways to improve.
Performance Level Outcomes
Understanding Performance Level Outcomes
Adopting Level Outcomes | Transforming Level Outcomes | Mastering Level Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
1. Agile teams are collecting basic velocity metrics to understand their performance. 2. Agile teams are collecting basic metrics to understand the quality of the products they are developing. 3. Metrics are visibly displayed. 4. Metrics are reviewed regularly by the team. 5. Teams are meeting to discuss outcomes and solve problems. | 6. Teams adopt a shared set of organizational metrics that are used to understand their collective performance. 7. Teams adopt a shared set of organizational metrics that are used to understand the quality of the products they are developing. 8. Metrics are utilized and reviewed during agile ceremonies, for example, sprint planning and retrospectives. | 9. Performance metrics from teams and functional areas are aggregated and trended to understand organizational performance. 10. Product quality metrics from agile teams are aggregated and trended to understand organizational product quality. 11. Agile teams are using metrics to improve performance and quality. 12. The organization is using metrics to improve performance and quality. |
Action 1.0: Identify Metrics to Understand Project, Product, Team, and Process Performance
Determine what metrics will be used to understand performance. Agile CxOs, leaders, and scrum masters, product owners, and teams should collaborate to identify and prioritize the metrics that will provide the most value in determining project, product, team, and process performance. The Goal, Question, Indicator, Metric (GQM) technique may be used to assist with identifying metrics to align with business goals. Other techniques that may assist with metrics selection are visual information management and retrospectives.
Ceremonies/Techniques
Goal, Question, Metric (GQM)
Use GQM to identify and define organizational goals, information needs, measurement objectives, and metrics. Ensure there is traceability from goals to metrics so that progress toward goal achievement can be understood.
Visual Information Management
Use visual information management to make the measurement program visible and transparent.
Retrospectives
Use retrospectives to gather improvement information for the measurement program. Record relevant metrics and outcomes.
Lean Coffee
Conduct Lean Coffee events as a way for the team to informally communicate, review performance, and solve problems.
Action 2.0: Collect and Report Metrics Data
Metrics data should be captured and reported based on goals identified by the organization at various levels. Responsibility for collecting metrics and reporting should be assigned to specific roles based on point of capture so there is no confusion or overlap. Metrics data should be reported via information radiators in accordance with the visual information management strategy.
Ceremonies/Techniques
Visual Information Management
Use visual information management to make metrics data and progress toward goal achievement visible and transparent.
Retrospectives
Use Team and Enterprise Retrospectives to understand what metrics are providing useful data, what metrics are not providing useful data, and to identify improvements or new metrics to create.
Scrum of Scrums
Individual and aggregate metrics should be reviewed and discussed in a cross-functional team construct, such as a Scrum of Scrums event, across teams and functional groups.
Action 3.0: Analyze and Trend Metrics Data
Once metrics are collected and reported, they will need to be analyzed. Analysis should include a review of metrics for trends, or comparing results against targets to assist with interpreting the data. This information should be used by leaders to understand team performance. Ceremonies that may be used to assist with analysis include evaluation, retrospectives, and reviews. The visual information management strategies will identify which information radiators provide the best medium trend analysis.
Ceremonies/Techniques
Evaluation
Involve key stakeholders in the evaluation of data to understand what each metric actually means in the context of the strategic goals and measurement program. Identifying and understanding trends is a key part of evaluation.
Visual Information Management
Use visual information management to trend metrics data and trend progress toward goal achievement. Information radiators should show a history for metrics that collected over time.
Retrospectives
Use retrospectives to understand positive trends, trends that are not going as expected, and to identify improvements or changes to address trends that are not going as expected.
Review
Share the trends and interpreted data during a Review with each team and each level of the organization. Make the Review of data a key ceremony in your suite of Agile Techniques.
Action 4.0: Identify Actions to Improve Performance
Once the results of metrics are understood, identify what actions are needed. Analysis of metrics could lead to confirming if the metric is providing value, whether the metric needs to be modified to improve value, or action needed to address a finding. Taking action is important to support continuously improving performance. Identified action items should be monitored and tracked to closure. Ceremonies where actions may be identified include evaluation, information radiators, and retrospectives. The visual information management technique may identify which information radiators will track improvements.
Ceremonies/Techniques
Evaluation
As part of Involving key stakeholders in the evaluation of data, identify what actions, if any, are needed to address data trends that are not going as expected.
Visual Information Management
Add actions identified during the evaluation of the metrics to backlogs or other information radiators so they are visible and transparent to all involved.
Retrospectives
Use retrospectives to gather improvement information for the measurement program. Add them to the visual information management systems being used.
Review
Review actions with owners and stakeholders to make sure actions are being completed, and all stakeholders are aware of progress.
Holon: Confirming
Confirming is a holon within the Affirming performance circle. The Confirming holon contains the actions and ceremonies required to understand how agile has been adopted by the team. This information can then be used to improve agile team performance.
Objective
As an agile leader,
I want to evaluate how well team members adhere to agile values, frameworks, and techniques,
So that I can understand where there are opportunities to improve team performance.
Performance Level Outcomes
Confirming Performance Level Outcomes
Adopting Level Outcomes | Transforming Level Outcomes | Mastering Level Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
1. Agile coach is assigned to each team and functional area. 2. Coaches are regularly observing and evaluating teams and functional areas. 3. Coaches are regularly providing feedback to teams, functional areas, and leaders. | 4. Leaders regularly observe teams and functional areas in person. 5. Teams and functional areas identify and implement performance improvements based on the feedback they receive from coaches and leaders. | 6. Coaches identify best practices and team improvements that can be shared across teams and functional areas. 7. Enterprise Retrospectives utilize feedback from coaches and leaders to improve performance across teams and functional areas. 8. Leaders use data to confirm that teams and functional areas are adopting values and techniques. |
Action 1.0: Observe Adoption of Agile Behaviors
In order to understand how well agile is working in your organization, it is important to observe behaviors and outcomes. Observation should be done regularly and not be disruptive to the ceremony or event in progress. Some techniques that may be helpful are the Gemba Walk and Evaluation.
Ceremonies/Techniques
Gemba Walk
Passively observe teams in action to understand how well they are living their agile brand.
Evaluation
Meet with teams and functional areas, ask questions, and share your observations with them, and coach them where appropriate. Share their strengths and how they can strengthen areas of weakness.
Action 2.0: Gather Information from Agile Teams about Their Adoption of Agile Behaviors
Observations and team input are gathered for understanding the adoption of agile values, methods, and techniques. Input may come from any ceremony or event where adoption is demonstrated. The techniques that help understand adoption behavior include the Gemba Walk, Evaluation, Review, and Kamishibai Board.
Ceremonies/Techniques
Gemba Walk
Have each team send an emissary to observe how other teams have adopted agile, and to gather feedback and improvement ideas across teams.
Evaluation
Identify key stakeholders to do cross-evaluations of other teams. Consolidate the information at the organization level.
Review
Share the all the information gathered as part of Gemba Walks, evaluations, and Kamishibai checks with the stakeholders.
Kamishibai Board
Use a Kamishibai Board to plan a dynamic set of agile checks, and to involve the immediate team members and two or more levels above them in the leadership chain.
Action 3.0: Provide Improvement Feedback to Agile Teams
Agile leaders and agile coaches provide feedback to teams and functional areas. It is important to provide the feedback information about behaviors early and often. Techniques that will provide feedback include the Gemba Walk, Evaluation, Review, and Kamishibai Board.
Ceremonies/Techniques
Gemba Walk
Results of observations made during Gemba Walks should be shared with teams and functional areas early and often.
Evaluation
Meet with teams and functional areas often to review and analyze the gathered observations to determine actions that need to be taken to improve performance.
Review
Review the actions from the evaluations and encourage team members to self-subscribe to actions for improvements.
Kamishibai Board
Add changes that were made to the cards pulled for the Kamishibai Board.
Action 4.0: Use Improvement Feedback to Improve Agile Team Performance
Agile teams and functional areas should use feedback generated from observations to improve team performance. This includes analyzing all feedback and creating actions that need to be taken. Team performance should be continuously monitored to ensure that the action actually resulted in improved performance as expected. Techniques that will provide feedback include the Gemba Walk, Evaluation, Review, and Kamishibai Board.
Ceremonies/Techniques
Gemba Walk
Leaders can see for themselves the changes that teams have made based on observations and actions. Provide coaching and feedback where needed.
Evaluation
Use more formal evaluations to evaluate improvements.
Review
Review all the improvement-related feedback with the team to maintain openness and transparency.
Kamishibai Board
Use the new or updated cards for the Kamishibai Board to have the agile team do self-checks and make adjustments as needed.