Velocity is one of the most common metrics used—and one of the most commonly misused—on agile projects. Velocity is simply a measurement of speed in a given direction—the rate at which a team is delivering toward a product release. As with a vehicle en route to a particular destination, increasing the speed may appear to ensure a timely arrival. However, that assumption is dangerous because it ignores the risks with higher speeds. And while it’s easy to increase a vehicle’s speed, where exactly is the accelerator on a software team? This presentation covers Hawthorne Effect and Goodhart’s Law to explain why setting goals for velocity can actually hurt a project's chances. Take a look at what can negatively impact velocity, ways to stabilize fluctuating velocity, and methods to improve velocity without the risks.
12. Seven Deadly Diseases
of
Western Management
Lack of constancy of purpose
Emphasis on short term profits
Evaluation of performance, merit rating, or annual review
Mobility of top management
Running a company on visible figures alone
Excessive medical costs
Excessive legal damage awards
15. What matters is not
setting quantitative
goals but fixing the
method by which those
goals are attained
16. What matters is not
setting quantitative
goals but fixing the
method by which those
goals are attained
Repair the root cause
Rather than the symptoms
31. What matters is not
setting quantitative
goals but fixing the
method by which those
goals are attained
Repair the root cause
32. What matters is not
setting quantitative
goals but fixing the
method by which those
goals are attained
Repair the root cause
Rather than the symptoms
48. Remember
• Velocity is a trailing indicator
• That which is measured will improve (at a cost)
• Velocity can tell us several things
• What matters is not the metric, but the behaviors that produce
the results
• Setting a goal on a metric negates the metric
• Cycle and Lead Time can tell us more
• Balance your metrics
Unemployment - when unemployment rises it means the economy has been doing poorly\nBody Temperature - Indicator of health; not the problem\n
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Something vaguely similar from Galileo\nMore similar from Tom DeMarco - "Controlling Software Projects: Management, Measurement, and Estimates," with the words: "You can't control what you can't measure."\n
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Seven Deadly Diseases of Western Management\n
Seven Deadly Diseases of Western Management\n
Seven Deadly Diseases of Western Management\n
Seven Deadly Diseases of Western Management\n
Seven Deadly Diseases of Western Management\n
Seven Deadly Diseases of Western Management\n
Seven Deadly Diseases of Western Management\n
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Charles Goodhart\n1975 Paper - Chief Economic Advisor for Bank of England\nAny observed statistical regularity will tend to collapse once pressure is placed upon it for control purposes.\n\nRewards for # of bugs found - lower importance, duplicate bugs reported\nReward for code coverage - increased coverage/decreased test quality\n\n
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Approval delays are a challenge\nTeam literally ran out of work once\nOur product owner is not well represented on this project\n