Metrics for a team in agile environment

In agile environment, there is some dilemma about how to measure team’s performance. Yes, it is PERFORMANCE not productivity.  My first advice is not to measure performance of team.  Even then due to old management adage – If You Can't Measure It, You Can't Manage It, HR department still want to measure team, what are the different measure. There are few:


*Consistent delivery of value

*Reducing amount of repeated tasks (simply automating repeating tasks)

*Velocity has upward trend (assuming no tinkering in assigning story points to stories)

*Downward trend in technical debt

*Downward trend in defects (severity might be a consideration apart from number)

*Reduced number of spikes (assuming no new drastic technical requirement)

*Reducing number of intra & inter team issues/challenges (if any)

*SM becoming redundant in team

*Consistent actions on retro items (I have my own doubts on this item)

*Team members are happy

*Customers have only good words to say about team

Prediction for remaining decade (2015-2026) - 2016

1.  Bigdata trend will keep gaining strength in both spheres – Batch & Real time. But too many tools may kill momentum.

2.    SAAS and PAAS will prevail for small and big enterprise.

3.    IAAS will thrive in enterprise data centers (Private Cloud).

4.    Industry specific cloud platforms will rise to cater regulatory and vertical specific needs.

5.    Fragmentation and Alternatives of Java and Enterprise Java (like Apache harmony, and Spring) will emerge stronger and official java from Oracle will loose its sheen due to lust for its monetization by Oracle.

6.    Laptop, mobile and tablet will merge into one.

7.    Indian IT workforce will shift from permanent job to contractual jobs like in USA.

8.    Developing countries will swept by telecom revelation like India in previous decade.

9.    Artificial intelligence will be new playground of software developers.

10.  Outsoucing of IT industry will change from India focused to 2I + 1 (2 location in India and one elsewhere).

11.  Digital currencies will impact financial markets in big way.

12.  Application will be pervasive in devices and appliances like phones (mobile and fixed line), TVs, automobiles, refrigerators, disk (CD/DVD/BlueRay) players, and any computing device.

13.  Fragmentation of Internet - There will be walls around country or region specific internet.

14.  Rise of china based technology companies.

Top Trends of 2016

1.    Internet of things will gain momentum.

2.    Virtual and augmented reality will start making inroad into enterprise training business.

3.  Bigdata, Artificial intelligence, and user experience professionals will be in great demand.

5.    More and more automobile will be using some form of tablet and assisted driving will rise.

6.   Spatial gesture sensitive and voice controlled devices will rise further.

7.    3D printing will start making inroads into consumer market.

8. In software development and maintenance fall of water fall will continue while agile will be rising.

9. Mobile payment will rise further.

10. Cloud based application will penetrate further in enterprise market.

11. Containerization and micro service will keep on rising in software architecture and design.

12. Merger of devices will continue.

13. Voice based interaction and user interface will emerge.