- Your organization wants to implement (or revamp existing) software delivery metrics to monitor performance as well as achieve its goals.
- You know that metrics can be a powerful tool for managing team behavior.
- You also know that all metrics are prone to misuse and mismanagement, which can lead to unintended consequences that will harm your organization.
- You need an approach for selecting and using effective software development lifecycle (SDLC) metrics that will help your organization to achieve its goals while minimizing the risk of unintended consequences.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Metrics are powerful, dangerous, and often mismanaged, particularly when they are tied to reward or punishment. To use SDLC metrics effectively, know the dangers, understand good practices, and then follow Info-Tech‘s TAG (team-oriented, adaptive, and goal-focused) approach to minimize risk and maximize impact.
Impact and Result
- Begin by understanding the risks of metrics.
- Then understand good practices associated with metrics use.
- Lastly, follow Info-Tech’s TAG approach to select and use SDLC metrics effectively.
Select and Use SDLC Metrics Effectively Research & Tools
Start here – read the Executive Brief
Understand both the dangers and good practices related to metrics, along with Info-Tech’s TAG approach to the selection and use of SDLC metrics.Besides the small introduction, subscribers and consulting clients within this management domain have access to:
- Select and Use SDLC Metrics Effectively – Phases 1-3
1. Understand the dangers of metrics
Explore the significant risks associated with metrics selection so that you can avoid them.
- Select and Use SDLC Metrics Effectively – Phase 1: Understand the Risks of Metrics
2. Know good practices related to metrics
Learn about good practices related to metrics and how to apply them in your organization, then identify your team’s business-aligned goals to be used in SDLC metric selection.
- Select and Use SDLC Metrics Effectively – Phase 2: Know Good Practices Related to Metrics
- SDLC Metrics Evaluation and Selection Tool
3. Rank and select effective SDLC metrics for your team
Follow Info-Tech’s TAG approach to selecting effective SDLC metrics for your team, create a communication deck to inform your organization about your selected SDLC metrics, and plan to review and revise these metrics over time.
- Select and Use SDLC Metrics Effectively – Phase 3: Rank and Select Effective SDLC Metrics for Your Team
- SDLC Metrics Rollout and Communication Deck
Workshop: Select and Use SDLC Metrics Effectively
Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.
1 Understand the Dangers of Metrics
The Purpose
Learn that metrics are often misused and mismanaged.
Understand the four risk areas associated with metrics: Productivity loss Gaming behavior Ambivalence Unintended consequences
Productivity loss
Gaming behavior
Ambivalence
Unintended consequences
Key Benefits Achieved
An appreciation of the dangers associated with metrics.
An understanding of the need to select and manage SDLC metrics carefully to avoid the associated risks.
Development of critical thinking skills related to metric selection and use.
Activities
1.1 Examine the dangers associated with metric use.
1.2 Share real-life examples of poor metrics and their impact.
1.3 Practice identifying and mitigating metrics-related risk.
Outputs
Establish understanding and appreciation of metrics-related risks.
Solidify understanding of metrics-related risks and their impact on an organization.
Develop the skills needed to critically analyze a potential metric and reduce associated risk.
2 Understand Good Practices Related to Metrics
The Purpose
Develop an understanding of good practices related to metric selection and use.
Introduce Info-Tech’s TAG approach to metric selection and use.
Identify your team’s business-aligned goals for SDLC metrics.
Key Benefits Achieved
Understanding of good practices for metric selection and use.
Document your team’s prioritized business-aligned goals.
Activities
2.1 Examine good practices and introduce Info-Tech’s TAG approach.
2.2 Identify and prioritize your team’s business-aligned goals.
Outputs
Understanding of Info-Tech’s TAG approach.
Prioritized team goals (aligned to the business) that will inform your SDLC metric selection.
3 Rank and Select Your SDLC Metrics
The Purpose
Apply Info-Tech’s TAG approach to rank and select your team’s SDLC metrics.
Key Benefits Achieved
Identification of potential SDLC metrics for use by your team.
Collaborative scoring/ranking of potential SDLC metrics based on their specific pros and cons.
Finalize list of SDLC metrics that will support goals and minimize risk while maximizing impact.
Activities
3.1 Select your list of potential SDLC metrics.
3.2 Score each potential metric’s pros and cons against objectives using a five-point scale.
3.3 Collaboratively select your team’s first set of SDLC metrics.
Outputs
A list of potential SDLC metrics to be scored.
A ranked list of potential SDLC metrics.
Your team’s first set of goal-aligned SDLC metrics.
4 Create a Communication and Rollout Plan
The Purpose
Develop a rollout plan for your SDLC metrics.
Develop a communication plan.
Key Benefits Achieved
SDLC metrics.
A plan to review and adjust your SDLC metrics periodically in the future.
Communication material to be shared with the organization.
Activities
4.1 Identify rollout dates and responsible individuals for each SDLC metric.
4.2 Identify your next SDLC metric review cycle.
4.3 Create a communication deck.
Outputs
SDLC metrics rollout plan
SDLC metrics review plan
SDLC metrics communication deck