agile and kpi’s, friends or enemies? - gladwell nl and kpi’s, friends or enemies? author; nickie...
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Agile and KPI’s, friends or enemies?
Author; Nickie Levels
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OrganizationsadoptanAgilewayofworkingbecausetheybelievethiscontributestoimprovingtheirperformance.Reducingtime-to-market,improvingflexibilityandincreasingcustomersatisfactionareoftencitedasthemainreasons.TheexpectedbenefitsofanAgilewayofworkingareoftennotmeasuredsufficiently,letaloneinaquantativeway.Therefore,itisdifficulttohaveagoodunderstandingofthe(improved)performancewhenadoptingAgile.Notonlypotentialareasoffurtherimprovementsmaybeneglected,alsoajustificationofcontinuingwiththeproposedorganizationalchangebecomeslesslegitimate.UsingKPI’scanbehelpfulwiththis.However,canAgileandKPI’sbefriendsoraretheydoomedtobeenemies?WhenusingtherightsetofKPI’sonecangaininsightinthewayAgileworkingiscontributingtotheperformanceoftheteamandtheorganizationasawhole.WhenpeoplearestillquestioningthepositiveeffectsofestablishinganAgileorganization,itAgileKPImeasurementperformanceisvaluabletohavequantitativeargumentsfollowingfromtheseKPI’s.Moreover,potentialareasofimprovementscanbeassigned,basedontherightmeasurements.Agileprinciplespromoteteamsreflectingontheirownwayofworkingandfindingwaystoimproveperformanceonaregularbasis.Wheretheteamitselfmighthavedifficultiestoseethepotentialimprovement,KPI’scanhelpgainingthisinsight.Inaddition,itcanalsopointoutthestrengthsofcertainteamswhichcanencouragethemtosharetheirbestpracticeswithotherteams. Soyes,therearedefinitelysomegoodreasonstomeasuretheAgileperformancewithKPI’s.However,doesn’tthisgoagainstoneofthegroundideasofAgilethatdeliveringworkingsoftwareistheonlymeasureofprogress?SomepeoplethereforearguethatinAgilealloverheadandallactivitiesthatarenotdirectlyrelatedtosoftwaredevelopment,shouldbediminished.SettingupaKPImeasurementtool,canbeconflictingwiththis.Moreover,Agileisaboutgivingteamsresp onsibility,confidenceandautonomy.Strictlymeasuringsomeone’sperformancedoesnotseeminlinewiththisprinciple.Measuringateam’sperformancebymeansofKPI’ssoundsconflictingtosomeoftheprinciplesofAgileasmentionedabove.However,onemustbecarefulthatAgileisnotmisusedinordertohaveanexcusenottoreflectandreportontheperformance,andnottofocusonotherimportantoutcomeslikeclientsatisfactionandeffectivity.Agileisallaboutreflectingontheperformanceoftheteamandtheorganization,inordertocontinuouslyimprove.AgileKPI’scanbeagreathelpinthis.AgilekpiInordertopreventAgileandKPI’stobecomeenemies,itiscrucialtodefinetherightsetofKPI’slookingatboththetopicstobemeasuredaswellastotheamountoftheKPI’susedforthis.Moreover,theKPI’smustbeusedtogainmoreinsight,toshowwhatisgoingwellandtodefineareasofimprovement.Itmustdefinitelynotbeusedasacontrolandpunishmechanism.Besides,beingtransparentaboutitandmakeitateameffortwillbeessentialforitssuccess.Whentakingthesepointsintoaccount,alongtermfriendshipcanbeassured.BlinkLane’sAgileKPImodelBlinkLanedevelopedanAgileKPImodel,whichmakesitpossibletoeasilygaininsightinthemost
importantbusinessindicatorsinatimeefficientmanner.Interested?Youarewelcometocontactusformoreinformation.
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Author
Msc. Nickie Levels Nickie is a consultant at Blinklane. Her main expertise is in sourcing and business agility. She supports organizations on both strategic as well as operational level. Moreover, Nickie has practical experience in change programs within large organizations; this experience helps in finding a suitable approach in different settings. Nickie is a team player who is very enthusiastic and result-oriented. She is able to quickly analyze data, prioritize issues, and connect with the people around her.
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