Early Indications That Your Agile Metrics Need Adjustment

Establishing metrics to assist a Scrum Team can be challenging. This article will discuss some signs, known as “smells,” that indicate the need for improvement in the agile metrics setup. These signs serve as a warning system to alert you to the need for adjustment.

• Metrics that take time to prepare: The requirement for extensive agile metrics preparation time is a warning sign for a Scrum Team. This shows that metrics are not centralized and compiling them takes a lot of work. Such manual efforts should be discouraged because they contribute little benefit. Additionally, rather than being a universally acknowledged fact, manually calculated measurements may be subject to individual perception. Where possible, automating the metrics calculation would be preferable because it saves the team’s time from having to perform manual calculations.
• Teams seem hassled about metrics/Teams cannot explain the rationale: Agile Metrics are designed to aid Scrum Teams in improving their performance, but this goal can’t be achieved if the collection and tracking of metrics become a burden for the teams. If the Scrum Team feels frustrated with specific metrics they are required to track, it often means they either don’t comprehend the purpose or how the data will be utilized. In such cases, transparency regarding the reasoning behind data collection can improve team alignment. When feasible, automated data capture reduces the Scrum Team’s burden and can decrease their resistance.
• Metrics that are judgy/Random R-Y-G windows: Agile Metrics should serve to continually enhance Scrum Team performance, not to impose artificial service level agreements or impose arbitrary “Red-Amber-Green” ranges. Sometimes these metrics are structured without considering the teams’ understanding, resulting in the Scrum Team focusing on presenting data that fits within pre-defined limits, instead of finding ways to improve. This goes against the purpose of metrics, which is to help identify areas for improvement, not to judge team performance.
• Metrics that create barriers: Agile Metrics should serve to continually enhance Scrum Team performance, not to impose artificial service level agreements or impose arbitrary “Red-Amber-Green” ranges. Sometimes these metrics are structured without considering the teams’ understanding, resulting in the Scrum Team focusing on presenting data that fits within pre-defined limits, instead of finding ways to improve. This goes against the purpose of metrics, which is to help identify areas for improvement, not to judge team performance.

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