Agile Focus on Outcome: Team can only commit by heart and mind if the end outcome is crystal clear | Agile Story 38
Many a times we hear Agile teams state the following.
- We released 48 points this sprint! It’s our best sprint!
- Our average lead time is 5 days — Yay!
- We closed 12 stories this week! Wow!
The problem with these statements is that they only talk about outputs. Outputs, by definition, are what’s created at the end of a process. But does that add any value for whom we are building the software, The Customer? Actually no. So instead of such outputs, the agile team needs to focus on outcomes, the value which it needs to provide its receivers by implementing agility in their workflow. The first principle of Agile manifesto is often neglected. “Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.”, however another principle receives lot of attention “Working software is the primary measure of progress.” But these principles were written 22 years ago so following the agile mindset we should also change our thoughts and align to modern ways of thinking.
So, with that thought, instead of focusing on working software as the major sign of success, the focus should be on how much value we are providing. So how does we ensure that we are able to provide the right outcome to our customers. We need to focus on the people who are ultimately responsible for developing that great value software.
Most teams need a product roadmap to understand high-level objectives and direction for the product evolution. We think of this as the product’s North Star. Just as the North Star (Polaris) has been historically used as a navigational reference point, guiding travelers and explorers, a North Star for a product represents a clear vision or a strategic goal that helps align efforts, drive decision-making, and provide a sense of direction. If we’ve deviated distinctly from it, we should have a good reason, and we probably need to update the roadmap. The roadmap should clearly depict the product goals, keeping in mind their value added and the desired outcomes from the customer’s point of view. The roadmap should roughly cover the next 6–12 months.
Overall, agile is an outcome-focused methodology that values collaboration, flexibility, and customer satisfaction. While a clear outcome is important, it is equally important to maintain an agile mindset and continuously adapt to changing customer needs and requirements.
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This is the continuation of sharing our Agile Stories/Thoughts Series. I strongly recommend referring to the links below for previous insightful blogs from our #teamagile in IBM.
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Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are my own and don’t reflect company’s opinion. They should not be considered as an advice or suggestion in any way.
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