Presentation given to Agile South Coast on the BEST View improvement model. Discussing why metrics are important, the format of the BEST View, how to create a BEST View and then leading the group through a practical.

1. BEST View
Improvement Model
Mark Wheeler
Head of Software Development
Cash Processing Solutions (Basingstoke)

2. BEST View improvement model
• Confession
• Why … do I use the Best View
• Fluffy kitten syndrome
• Questions to ask yourselves
• What … is the Best View
• Origins
• Format
• How … to make the BEST View yourselves
• Don’t … things not to do
• Let’s try make a best for Agile South Coast … hands-on practical time
• Recap

3. Confession
Family holidays were determined by our
achievements.
• Me : Swimming –distance
• Sister: Exam results –grades
• Dad: Cigars – number reduced
• Mum: Weight – lost!
Result : Good = a week on a boat on the Thames.
I’m obsessed with improvement and the metrics behind improvement.

4. Question
• How good is your team?
Probable answers …
• Terrible
• Could be better
• Pretty good
• Alright
• Great
Why

5. Photo by Raul Varzar on Unsplash
Fluffy kitten syndrome
Why
How cute is the kitten?
Oh very cute!
= intangible item

6. Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash
“Without data you’re just
another person with
an opinion”
W. Edwards Deming
Why

7. Another Question
• Presumably you’re improving all the time so how do you know
you’ve actually improved?
Metrics of some sort.
• Does everyone in your team agree this is the definitive
measurement of your team’s success?
How do you know … are you sure?
• And that’s it? That’s the only factor(s) that really matters?
Why

8. “You
can’t manage
what you
don’t measure”
Peter Drucker

10. We measure the things that we care
about …
Why

11. Why do I use the Best View
• My team is always under pressure to deliver.
• I know my team needs to continually improve.
• I have finite time and budget, so the improvements I make need to
add the maximum possible value.
• I need the detail behind the big picture.
• I need my whole team bought into our improvements.
• I need my stakeholders bought into our improvements.
Why

12. Origins
Colour &
Pictures
3 different teams
over 4 years
Supply of A0 paper
The Best View
aka the Best View
Improvement Model
What
CMO
MoO
FMO
Mode of Operation
Current & Future Mode of Operation

13. Format
• Single piece of paper (up to A0):
• Stops death by PowerPoint.
• Keeps focus on what really matters.
• Put it on the wall in your team area and talk around it.
• You wonder outside of your area of interest or speciality.
• Great for engaging stakeholders.
• Accessible:
• Lots of images.
• Simple consistence language with minimal acronyms.
What
£8 per copy

14. What
Format
• Header
• Speed Read
• What’s in it for me
• Why & What > Vision and
Mission Statements
• Stakeholders

15. Format
• Header
• Who
• Social Contract
• Business Value
What

16. Format
• Header
• Health Check
What

17. Format
• Sections
• Focus Areas
• What
• Why
• Up to 3 metrics with
scores from last 12
months
• Champion
• Banding
What

18. Format
• Don’t state How things are done! How you do things will
probably constantly change so don’t let BEST restrict you …
focus on outcomes which are your metrics!
What

19. How
• Define Why & What > Vision & Mission Statements.
• Define Areas & Sections.
• Make sure whole team is engaged.
• Team vote for areas to be involved in (e.g. 5 votes), then pick
Champions for each area and teams to support them initially.
• Champions and their teams define their areas (i.e. what, why,
metrics).
• Baseline – score areas and publish first BEST view for team.
How

20. How
• Vote on 3 key areas
• Team
• Manager / Leader
• Key Stakeholder
• Iterate improvement
• 3 month sprints
• Fortnightly review, retro, planning
• Celebrate success
• Trophies, party etc …
How

21. Don’t (mistakes I made)
• Make it all yourself or do as a management team (instead invite
and cajole team members to take active involvement).
• Go Waterfall and try to have a perfect model before iterating
improvements (instead get something out there and go for it).
• Make it then sit back and marvel (instead iterate).
• Be generous with metric scores (instead round down).
• Ignore it when faced with a problem (instead ask yourself … is
this on the BEST … if not then should it be … if it shouldn’t be on
the BEST view then why are you wasting your time on it?).
How

22. Don’t (mistakes I made)
• Collect human element via surveys where appropriate (e.g. on a
scale of 1 to 10 how cute is the kitten)
• Metrics could also be called “Decision Helpers”, so make sure you
ask the “So what” question when choosing metrics (e.g. how
many lines of code doesn’t necessarily equal productivity).
How

23. Practical
• Our team is Agile South Coast (ASC)
• Last Workout defined a great “Why” for the team:
“To build an Agile community, so that I know
I'm not alone as an Agile champion”
How

24. Practical
• Split into 2-3 groups
• 10 minutes
• Pick a focus area for Agile South Coast
• State the Why
• Describe the What
• Up to 3 metrics to measure
• If possible record current scores (or at least how to collect scores)
• 5 minutes share results (i.e. 1-2 minutes per team)
How

25. Practical
• ASC focus areas
1. Talks & Presentations
2. Group Discussions
3. Interactive Learning / Demo Exercises
4. Networking
5. Knowledge Sharing
6. Personal Development
How
Pick one area
but make sure another team
hasn’t already selected it

26. Recap
• Metrics are really important.
• Measurement allows us to understand, then control and
ultimately improve.
• Format of the BEST view (i.e. 1 piece of paper, header, areas).
• How to create and use BEST view.
• Practical - we defined some areas of focus for ASC.
• Hopefully you had some fun, found BEST view at least intriguing,
potentially inspired some ideas of your own and maybe even
made you consider using this model yourself.
Recap

27. Thank you …for being the
BEST audience 
Would love your feedback via ASC meetup/slack or
below contact details.
Happy to mentor anyone to use and ideally evolve
the BEST view for themselves.
Email: mark.aberford@gmail.com
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/marknwheeler/