Agile and KPI’s, friends or enemies? - Gladwell NL and KPI’s, friends or enemies? Author; Nickie Levels 2 : l BlinkLane developed an Agile KPI model, which makes it possible to

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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About Gladwell Gladwell Academy offers certified trainings for public and private organizations. We focus on the following themes: • Information Management • Agile & Lean Business and IT • (IT) Sourcing • Innovation of business models • Security & Risk All our trainers are professionals who have extensive experience. In addition, regularly during our trainings we invite speakers for specific practices. Gladwell Academy is a subsidiary of BlinkLane.

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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