Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile Storytelling from the Trenches
Episode: Aligning Metrics and Mindsets in Agile Teams | Karthiga Seturaj
Host: Vasco Duarte
Guest: Karthiga Seturaj
Release Date: December 17, 2024

Introduction

In this insightful episode of the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast, host Vasco Duarte engages in a compelling conversation with Karthiga Seturaj, an experienced Scrum Master. The episode delves deep into the intricate relationship between metrics and team mindsets within Agile frameworks. Karthiga shares her experiences, challenges, and strategies for aligning metrics in a way that fosters growth and continuous improvement without stifling team morale.

Inspiration from "Project to Product"

Karthiga begins by highlighting a pivotal book that significantly influenced her approach as a Scrum Master:

"Project to Product" by Mick Kirsten
[03:13]

Recommended by her Vice President of Engineering, Karthiga immersed herself in the book to implement the Flow Framework in her organization. She underscores the book's impact on her understanding of value stream management and bridging the gap between business stakeholders and technical teams. The insights gained from the book reshaped her perspective on metrics, emphasizing the importance of flow and its alignment with business value.

Key Metrics for Scrum Masters

When discussing critical metrics for Scrum Masters, Karthiga emphasizes the importance of identifying and understanding bottlenecks within the workflow:

"I would say the bottlenecks, right? So personally, flow efficiency is the one that I like the most... If you focus on flow efficiency, that's a good place to start understanding where the delays are."
[05:02]

She advocates for Flow Efficiency as a foundational metric. By analyzing how much time a team actively works on their backlog versus waiting, Scrum Masters can identify areas for improvement. This approach aligns with Lean principles, focusing on reducing wait times and optimizing overall flow time.

Challenges with Introducing Metrics

Despite thorough training and a clear understanding of metrics’ purposes, Karthiga encountered resistance from team members who felt pressured by the metrics:

"Sometimes or many times I would notice developers or POs saying things like, oh no, if I do this, our metrics would be impacted... Can we do something about the ticket which is blocked so that our numbers won't look bad."
[06:15]

This behavior highlighted a common challenge: metrics can inadvertently become targets, leading to counterproductive actions. Karthiga reflects on the difficulty of managing team perceptions and ensuring that metrics serve as tools for improvement rather than punitive measures.

Strategies for Thoughtful Metric Implementation

To navigate the complexities of introducing metrics, Karthiga outlines several strategies aimed at fostering a positive relationship between teams and their metrics:

1. Establishing Feedback Loops

"Get feedback from the teams to understand whether this is helpful... Involve them when you are putting that metrics together."
[09:43]

Karthiga emphasizes the importance of creating continuous feedback channels with teams. By involving team members in defining and selecting metrics, Scrum Masters can ensure that the metrics are relevant and supportive of the team’s objectives. This collaborative approach fosters ownership and reduces apprehension around metric tracking.

2. Distinguishing Between Internal and External Metrics

Drawing from Vasco’s insights, Karthiga agrees on the necessity of differentiating metrics based on their audience and purpose:

"I think that would definitely help. And also giving them more clarity on why leadership wants to look at it."
[13:38]

She highlights the distinction between internal metrics (used by the team for self-improvement) and external metrics (used by leadership to assess broader performance). By clearly defining the purpose and audience of each metric, teams can maintain focus on meaningful improvements without succumbing to the pressures of external evaluation.

3. Addressing Goodhart’s Law

Vasco introduces Goodhart’s Law, which posits that “when a metric becomes a target, it ceases to be a useful metric.” Karthiga concurs, recognizing the pitfalls of metric-target conflation:

"Yeah, I think that's a good way to put it... and helps team understand where they should be focusing on."
[13:38]

To mitigate this, Karthiga advocates for using metrics as indicators rather than strict targets. This approach encourages teams to interpret metrics contextually, focusing on the underlying processes rather than merely achieving numerical goals.

Balancing Leadership and Team Needs

Karthiga discusses the delicate balance Scrum Masters must strike between fulfilling leadership’s requirements and addressing the team’s needs:

"Leadership wants to see where they can help in a way. They can set an environment, build an environment where the teams can thrive and grow."
[15:08]

She provides an example of addressing a bottleneck in testing by using metric data to make a case for additional resources. This illustrates how metrics can empower teams to advocate for necessary support, ensuring that the focus remains on collective success rather than individual performance.

Key Takeaways

• Flow Efficiency: Prioritize understanding and improving flow efficiency to identify and eliminate bottlenecks.

• Collaborative Metric Definition: Involve team members in selecting and defining metrics to ensure relevance and buy-in.

• Internal vs. External Metrics: Clearly differentiate between metrics used internally for team development and those shared externally for broader assessment.

• Avoiding Metric Targets: Treat metrics as informative tools rather than targets to prevent counterproductive behaviors influenced by Goodhart’s Law.

• Empowering Teams: Use metrics data to advocate for necessary resources and support, fostering an environment conducive to team growth and success.

Conclusion

In this episode, Karthiga Seturaj offers a nuanced perspective on the role of metrics in Agile teams. By emphasizing collaboration, clear differentiation of metric purposes, and a focus on flow efficiency, she provides actionable strategies for Scrum Masters aiming to align metrics with positive team mindsets. This conversation serves as a valuable resource for Agile practitioners seeking to harness the power of metrics without undermining team dynamics.

Listen to the full episode here to gain deeper insights into aligning metrics and mindsets in your Agile teams.