What Business really expects from their interactions with Technology or Measuring business KPI of agile transformation.
Agile is not a NOUN is not anything that we can implement, Agile is adjective, and describe the stage being a NOUN
In the words of Albert Einstein,
“Not everything that counts can be counted.”
Agile transformation is very costly exercises, therefore it is legitimate to ask about the results of such endeavor. When measuring and applying metrics into your organizational agile initiatives, it is easy to drift to the dark side, as many do . The important thing to realize, though, is that the same question could be rephrased to another one:
" Is your organization Technology improving their impact on Business "
Or as used by the Kanban community: " is the Technology becoming more and more fit for purpose ( also known as a KPI)? What is the Business expects from its interactions with Technology?
Measuring “agile transformation success” really means measuring the success of the exchanges between Technology and the Business, and between the Business and their Users.
Any metrics that we may apply, of course, a highly contextual because every organization is different. My experience focused on agile transformational measurement has taught me few things, but most of all, this:
Using measurement in the agile environment can be dangerous.
If your organization does use metrics wrong, they will harm their agile transformation. But I would like, again using Kanban community for some general idea/guideline on what to look for:
- Fitness for purpose metrics ( KPI/ something a business will care about). Value metric which business is used to select a service: delivery time, quality, predictability or security ... To me, this is a good Agile transformation metric.
- Health indicators. Just for internal purpose and provide info as to the quality of the organization product development process. The real users not valuing these indicators (or even understand :) ), but the business may.
- Improvement drivers. Organizational/team behavior towards a particular change
Agile transformational metrics, when well defined , categorized are TRULY meaningful, can provide tremendous value to Technology leaders and the business stakeholders
Do you measure the business KPI of agile transformation?
Independent Professional-, Agile & Senior Management Coach | Trusted Advisor | Founder & Co-Author Agnostic Agile (NPO) | Co-Founder & Co-Author Agile 2 | Change Catalyst | SW Developer | 15K+
7 年When you say Measuring “agile transformation success” really means measuring the success of the exchanges between Technology and the Business, and between the Business and their Users." , I am actually thinking: the success is visible in the disappearance of such silo-ed labels as Business and Technology. What I see a lot in examples like Fintech, InsurTech, HealthTech etc and companies like Amazon, Google and "even" some big banks, is that technology becomes core of the business. The key to success is and always has been to learn how to operate as One Team. And leave labels, titles and egos at the door.
Helping companies in their modernization and transformation journey.
7 年Good one. Never forget the difference between end goal and means goal.
Technology Leader PMP I SAFe I CCMP I PROSCI
7 年I know a few folks like me who need this food for thought. Thank you for sharing.
Agile & Business Strategist : Transformation Catalyst
7 年Srinivas Garapati , "A picture is worth a thousand words" is an English language-idiom.
Agile & Business Strategist : Transformation Catalyst
7 年Unfortunately not many organization realizing that the Agile journey is hard and very complicated. It involves learning and applying new techniques, thinking in a different way, and stepping out of existing comfort zone while adapting to a new culture of delivering value , leadership of newly renovated organizations need to start measuring those different trends differently. Sadly no wonder many agile transformations revert back to previous ways over time....