Agile 101: Basic Measurements
Dhaval Panchal, CST and Agile Coach
Halim Dunsky, Director of Delivery
Excellence
Slide 1

Dhaval Panchal
• Certified Scrum Trainer (CST) and Agile
coach
• Consults with organizations from mid-sized
product companies to the Fortune 100
• Experience in software
development, business and functional
analysis, Lean office
implementations, organizational
change, system architecture, business
intelligence, and project management
• Writes about software development and
coaching on his blog
(http://dhavalpanchal.gettingagile.com/)
• Received his B.S. in Engineering University of
Mumbai, India
Slide 2

Halim Dunsky
• Director of Delivery Excellence, responsible for
cultivating and retaining top-tier employees
and teams, and for ensuring successful delivery
of Agile software development and consulting
engagements
• Wide range of leadership and technical
positions at companies including Microsoft,
Deloitte & Touche, Bank of America
• Taught systems thinking to MBA students as
founding core faculty member at Bainbridge
Graduate Institute
• B.A. in Communications, Northwestern
University; M.A. in Organizational Systems,
Saybrook Graduate School; CSM, CSPO
Slide 3

What Do We Measure?
• Introduction
• Burn-down
• Burn-up
• Velocity
Slide 4

Measurements: Point of View
• Coaching Agile teams
• Actionable indicators
• Incomplete information
Slide 5

The Agile Manifesto
We are uncovering better ways of developing software
by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work
we have come to value:
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we
value the items on the left more.
www.agilemanifesto.org
Slide 6

Measurements
Informational
Motivational
“Nothing about a piece
of information makes it
inherently motivational
Process Refinement Coordination
or informational.
Rather, it is the way in
which the information is
used that determines
the measurement
Agile Use
category.”
- Robert D. Austin [1996]
Slide 7

Agile Measurements
Knowledge work can not be measured and
managed as parts within a mechanistic system
Adaptive
Mechanistic
Slide 8

Agile Principles
• Build projects
around motivated
individuals
• Give them the
environment and
support they need
• Trust them to get
the job done
www.agilemanifesto.org/principles.html
Slide 9

Agile Principles
• Working software is
the primary
measure of progress
www.agilemanifesto.org/principles.html
Slide 10

The Scrum Framework
24 hours
Daily Scrum
Coordination Process
Meeting
Refinement
Sprint
Retrospective
Sprint
Typically 2
weeks to 1 Sprint Review
Sprint Planning Meeting
month in
duration
Vision Potentially
Sprint Backlog Shippable
Product
Increment
Product Backlog
Slide 11

Agile Measurements
• Provide transparency
• Improve
effectiveness
• Enable continuous
improvements
Slide 12

What Do We Measure?
• Introduction
• Burn-down
• Burn-up
• Velocity
Slide 13

Sprint Burn-down
• Will the team
meet its sprint
goal?
• Keeps track of
effort remaining
Slide 14

Glossary Terms
Product Backlog
Item (PBI)
Task Task Task
Task Task Task
Task
Slide 15

Sprint Burn-down: How to Measure?
180
• Initiate at Sprint 170
160
150
140
Hours Remaining
planning 130
120
110
100
90
• Ideal trend line 80
70
80
50
40
• Track effort 30
20
10
remaining 2
1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Days
Slide 16

Sprint Burn-down: Coordination
• Monitor Burn-down 180
170
160
in daily Scrum 150
140
Hours Remaining
130
120
110
• Cone of +/- 20%
100
90
80
70
80
50
40
30
20
10
2
1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Days
Slide 17

Burn Down Fast: Coordination
180
170
160
150
140
Hours Remaining
130
120
110
100
90
80
70
New Stories Pulled
80
50
40
30
20
10
2
1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Days
Slide 18

Burning Up! Coordination
180
170
160
Reduced Scope?
150
Impediments Removed?
140
Hours Remaining
130
120
110
100
90
80
70
80
50
40
30
20
10
2
1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Days
Slide 19

Sprint Burn-down: Process Tuning
• Jumps or dips = 180
170
160
change in flow 150
140
Hours Remaining
130
120
110
100
90
80
70
80
50
40
30
20
10
2
1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Days
Slide 20

Sprint Burn-down: Pitfalls to Avoid
• Do not hide Burn-
down charts. Post
them in the most
visible spot for the
team.
http://alistair.cockburn.us/Information+radiator
Slide 21

Sprint Burn-down: Pitfalls to Avoid
• Update remaining task hours daily
180
170
160
150
140
Hours Remaining
130
120
110
100
90
80
70
80
50
40
30
20
10
2
1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Days
Slide 22

Sprint Burn-down: Pitfalls to Avoid
• Do not just focus on 180
170
160
taking tasks that you 150
140
Hours Remaining
are comfortable with 130
120
110
100
90
80
70
Abandoned
80
Tasks
50
40
30
20
10
2
1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Days
Slide 23

Sprint Burn-down
• Can we meet the
sprint goal?
• Represent effort
remaining
• Encourages early
course correction
Slide 24

What Do We Measure?
• Introduction
• Burn-down
• Burn-up
• Velocity
Slide 25

Sprint Burn-Up
• Will the team deliver
committed stories? 30
Story Points
• Incremental delivery
20
means “Done-
Done” 10
2
1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Days
Slide 26

Glossary Terms
Product Backlog Item
User Story
As a <user role>
I want <feature>
User Story
So that <value>
8
As a <user role>
I want <feature>
so that <value>
Sprint Planning
Source: “Agile Estimating and Planning,” by Mike Cohn
Slide 27

Glossary Terms: Done-Done
• Definition of Done: Helps us • Acceptance Criteria: Helps
build the thing right us build the right thing
(deliverables) (functionality)
Acceptance Criteria
Architecture •View status as “waiting for pickup,”
“en route” or “delivered”
Analysis
Infrastructure •Date of each step in route
•Estimated time of delivery
Design
Coding
Testing
Performance
Testing
Slide 28

Sprint Burn-Up: How to Measure
• Initial
– Cumulative total of 30
all story points
Story Points
committed at sprint 20
planning
• On going 10
– Cumulative total of
story points “Done
Done” during sprint. 2
1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Days
Slide 29

Sprint Burn-Up: Coordination
• Business value focus
Start END
“Scrumerfall” Stories
Completed = 0
Incremental Stories
Completed = 3
Slide 30

Sprint Burn-Up: Coordination
• Reduces work-in-
progress (WIP)
• Discourages
handoffs late in
sprint
Slide 31

Sprint Burn-Up: Coordination
• Early feature feedback
Slide 32

Sprint Burn-Up: Process Tuning
• Reveal
effectiveness of
divide and conquer
strategies
• Encourages role
sharing
Slide 33

Sprint Burn-Up: Pitfalls to Avoid
• Do not abandon sprint Burn-down chart
180
170
Hours Remaining
160
150 30
Story Points
140
130
120
110
100 20
90
80
70
80
50 10
40
30
20
10
2 2
1 1
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Days Days
http://www.agilejournal.com/articles/columns/articles/274-the-agile-v-scorecard
Slide 34

Sprint Burn-Up: Pitfalls to Avoid
• Do not wait until the last day of sprint to
seek acceptance on stories.
30
Story Points
NOT “Done
Done!”
20
10
2
1 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Days
Slide 35

Burn-Up Chart
• Early and
continuous
feedback
• Focus on delivering
business value
• Drives cross-
functional behavior
Slide 36

What Do We Measure?
• Introduction
• Burn-down
• Burn-up
• Velocity
Slide 37

Velocity
• Amount of product
backlog a team can
complete within a given
sprint
– Measured sprint by sprint
– Based on actual track record of a
team delivering working software
– Provides basis for planning
– Results, not effort
Slide 38

Velocity: How to Measure
• Team estimates Product Backlog Items
• Team pulls in Product Backlog Items to
Sprint Backlog during Sprint Planning
• Team executes on sprint
• Story points completed and accepted
count towards Sprint Velocity
Sprints Story Points Story Points Velocity
Committed Accepted
1 20 16 16
2 24 24 24
Slide 39

Velocity: Directly Affected By…
• Team membership
• Team’s domain
and technology
expertise
• Collaboration skills
• Environment
• Impediments
Slide 40

Velocity: Coordination
• Release planning
with key stakeholders
• Dependency management with
external teams
Slide 41

Velocity: Coordination
Prioritized Product Backlog
Sprint n+1
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
Sprint n+2
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
The location of the arrow is
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
determined by team velocity
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
and the number of remaining
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
Sprint n+3
iterations
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
We’ll be here by the
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
planned deadline
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
Source: “Agile Estimating and Planning,” by Mike Cohn
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
Slide 42

Velocity: Coordination
Prioritized Product Backlog
• Risk management
Iteration 1
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
Iteration 2
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
At our slowest velocity we’ll finish here
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
At our current velocity we’ll finish here
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
At our long-term average we’ll finish here
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
As a frequent flyer, I want to…
Slide 43

Velocity: Process Tuning
• Solid Agile teams have consistent velocity
(+/- 20%)
• Fluctuations? Look to stabilize
team, environment
• Velocity trending down or up? Look to
technical-debt handling, team processes
Slide 44

Velocity: Process Tuning
Velocity
40
30
20
10
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Sprints
Slide 45

Velocity: Pitfalls to Avoid
• Velocity between teams is not
comparative or additive
• Velocity does not show relative
performance or productivity of teams
• Velocity does not imply commitment
• Do not use not-done work in velocity
calculations
Slide 46

Summary
• Burn-down tracks effort remaining
• Burn-Up tracks completed software
delivered
• Velocity tracks team history
of delivered software
Slide 47

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• Headquarters: Redmond, WA
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consulting services, from Agile
training and consulting to
software development and
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• Leading provider of Scrum
Certification Training
Slide 48

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Slide 49

Questions & Answers
Slide 50

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Slide 51

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Slide 52