Using Agile Metrics to measure the team’s productivity is the key part of Agile Philosophy. Team managers and all members should see the consequences of their work and use this data to improve workflow and increase efficiency.
In this article, we will review agile metrics that we recommend using in your projects. We would like to review metrics that assess the main aspects of the software development process:
- Product quality
- Team’s productivity
- Health.
Quality Metrics
The priority for each software development team and manager is to measure the product quality and detect negative tendencies.
#1 Escaped Defects
All changes, edits and unfixed bugs are escaped defects. Issues that developers could have fixed but didn’t record their precise number and nature to know which mistakes usually escaped developers eyes.
#2 Failed Deployments
If the product was deployed but not released or failed to attract users, this is recorded as a failed deployment.
Whatever was the cause of the problem, you need to record all failed deployments along with the reasons for their failure.
#3 The Net Promoter Score
The Net Promoter Score is the metric that involves evaluating users’ reactions in quantitative and qualitative feedback. After collecting and analyzing the feedback, each team member suggests a score that evaluates how much the user is likely to recommend the product. Typically, scores are set in limits from 1 to 10.
Productivity Metrics
Our task here is to assess the team’s efficiency. You can use agile project metrics to know if team members meet your expectations, understand their tasks, manage deadlines and if all processes are coordinated and synchronized.
#4 Lead Time
Lead time allows teams to check how much it took for the product backlog entry to arrive at the end of the sprint.
It can be used to track products at any development stage. Task by task or assess the overall time expenses, from ideation to release.
#5 Cycle Time
If lead time is among long-term team performance metrics, cycle time focuses on individual tasks. This metric evaluates the duration of a single cycle, calculates the number of cycles per project and measures accomplished results. With cycle time teams can immediately see if one task takes too much time or if some team members aren’t delivering on their ends.
#6 Sprint Burndown
Managers can analyze reports on previous projects or create sprint burndown reports in real time. For this, they need to estimate the total number of sprints and predict likely time expenses.
More importantly, Sprint Burndown allows tracking the dynamics of team workflow.
#7 Epic & Release Burndown
This metric is similar to sprint burndown. The only key difference is that it focuses on the team’s productivity before and after the release. It’s an improved version of Sprint burndown as it also incorporates tasks that are given after the release of the project.
#8 Velocity
This metric evaluates the number of completed story points over a particular period. Based on your history, you can foresee time expenses for future story points. The decrease of the team’s velocity can point at misunderstanding among team members or indicate tasks that are harder than previously anticipated.
Health Metrics
Here we find out if all our team members are happy with the workflow.
#9 Happiness
That’s right. Ask everyone to rate their experience in the company from 1 to 5. You can ask assisting questions:
- What are the best and worst aspects?
- Which ones could improve?
- What could increase happiness?
If the team doesn’t have friendly communication traditions, using anonymous surveys will lead to more objective results. In your opinion, what’s the best way to evaluate team members happiness in a project?
#10 Team Morale
Team morale and Happiness aren’t the same things. Happiness has more to do with comfort whereas team morale is tied to productivity, self-esteem evaluation of one’s own professional qualities. Again, you can ask employees to rate their morale from one to five and ask the following questions:
- Did working in the company improve your skills?
- How much is your full potential explored with the current workload?
- Do you enjoy your work?
- Do you see the clear results of your work?
- Are you enthusiastic about new projects?
This survey will help you see if employees are excited and challenged by their work.
#11 Team Member Turnover
If team managers frequently replace team members, it means that the work environment is likely unhealthy.
A certain rate of turnover over time is healthy but you should watch out for sudden spikes and activity.
Out of all the variety of available agile metrics, you need to select the ones that will be relevant for your team and projects long term. Keeping track of these key characteristics should be a habit and it shouldn’t distract you for more urgent work.
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