AONW 2016

After baselining my teams – making sure that they perform all the standard ceremonies and that they utilize all the standard artifacts – I was asked by my management, "Now that you've established that our teams are Agile, how well are they doing at being Agile?"

After sheepishly answering, "I don't know. I don't have any way of measuring that. Let me get back to you." I searched around online for a way to measure a team on their Agility. I found a few methods that had elements that I liked, but nothing that I could just grab-and-go with. So I created my own – borrowing heavily from the examples I found online. The end result is what you see here.

What I do is:

Print out the score card template – one for each person on the scrum team (the delivery team + the Product Owner + engineering management).
Have them read through the list of 20 characteristics. For each characteristic, establish how you feel that the team is doing and vote (with a check or an X) either green, yellow or red. I provide information on what green looks like and what red looks like. I tell them that if they feel the team lies somewhere in between, to mark yellow.
Then they turn in the papers and I tally the results. I count the number of responses for each characteristic color so that I have totals in each color in each row – even if it's zero.
Then I analyze the data in two ways:
1. I choose the "winner" for each characteristic. For most it's pretty straightforward – one of the numbers in either green, yellow or red will be the clear "winner." However, sometimes you end up with numbers like this: 4 green responses, 4 yellow responses, and 1 red response. Subjectively, I choose yellow as the winner. Then, for each color-column, I count the number of times that color 'won' and write that number in the appropriate totals box at the bottom of the 2nd page. I then take the number of green winners and multiply that number by 2; I take the number of yellow winners and multiply that number by –1; I take the number of red winners and multiply that number by –2. Then I add those three numbers together and put the sum in the Score box at the very bottom. That score will fall somewhere in the scale to the left of the Score box – and the team then has a color that represents their overall health.
2. Additionally, I take the data from step 3 above, and populate the attached spreadsheet. Then the data can be graphed and shared with the team. The lowest bars on the graph become "Areas to Address."
I work with the PM, EM and the PO to prioritize the Areas to Address, then follow the following steps:
1. Circle back with the team and share all the data / results and determine the scope of each Area to Address
2. Establish a commitment from the Delivery Team to address each area
  1. The team will need to speak to: what would the team look like, or how would the team function differently, if this particular area was working well?
  2. By answering this question themselves, the Delivery Team will determine their level of commitment.
3. Create a plan, with specific and measurable milestones, to address the highest priority area
  1. This will vary based upon the specific area needing to be addressed.
  2. Areas like code ownership will have to be driven by Engineering management, but I can work with them on coming up with plans and milestones.
4. Measure progress by having the team complete another score card every 3-4 months, consistently.