Beyond Dashboards: Operationalising a Measurement Framework for Agile Teams

Beyond Dashboards: Operationalising a Measurement Framework for Agile Teams

연구 분야: Software Development

학회: International Conference on the Quality of Information and Communications Technology

Context: Abundant literature is available on metrics that can support Agile teams in improving their way of working and performance. However, little knowledge is available on how to operationalise metrics successfully. Objective: Our objective is to understand the challenges and benefits of selecting measures and introducing these via dashboards in supporting Agile teams in their improvement ambitions. Method: We report on Action Research in a large international organisation where metrics dashboards are introduced to Agile teams with varying levels of Agile maturity and diverse purposes. We observed dashboard usage and assessed actionability through surveys and interviews. Results: Our key observations are: (1) Metrics support Agile teams in improving performance with higher gains by teams with lower Agile maturity; (2) Collecting and sharing qualitative survey data interactively during Agile rituals is highly effective; (3) Measurement data quality is a key factor influencing actionability. Conclusions: Metric dashboards support organisations and Agile teams in their improvement ambitions. Optimal results are achieved by selecting just enough metrics based on actionability. Dashboards should be differentiated based on Agile maturity and customised to the needs of teams. Important factors for actionability are the interactive collection of qualitative measures and data quality. Data quality proves to be two-faced: measurement improves adherence to processes and data maintenance while on the other hand, a lack of trust in the numbers impedes the use of measurements.