Actionable Agile Metrics For Predictability

"When will it be done?" That is probably the first question your customers ask you once you start working on something for them. Think about how many times you have been asked that question. How many times have you ever actually been right? We can debate all we want whether this is a fair question to ask given the tremendous amount of uncertainty in knowledge work, but the truth of the matter is that our customers are going to inquire about completion time whether we like it or not. Which means we need to come up with an accurate way to answer them. The problem is that the forecasting tools that we currently utilize have made us ill-equipped to provide accurate answers to reasonable customer questions. Until now. Topics Include Why managing for flow is the best strategy for predictability-including an introduction to Little's Law and its implications for flow. A definition of the basic metrics of flow and how to properly visualize those metrics in analytics like Cumulative Flow Diagrams and Scatterplots. Why your process policies are the potentially the biggest reason that you are unpredictable.

The definitive guide on Lean-Agile forecasting that gives you all the tools you need in order to answer your customers' most important question.

Velocity is the most commonly used metric in agile software delivery. It is also perhaps the least effective metrics in agile software delivery. In "Escape Velocity", Doc Norton walks the reader through common issues with metrics and how to avoid them, altermative metrics that not only help agile teams perform better, but enable them to continuously improve, and techniques for forecasting that vastly outperform the use of velocity. In a quirky, casual, and information dense style, Doc Norton makes the topic of tracking data entertaining and shows us how to be more effective in the pursuit of excellent software.

Summary Agile Metrics in Action is a rich resource for agile teams that aim to use metrics to objectively measure performance. You'll learn how to gather data that really counts, along with how to effectively analyze and act upon the results. Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications. About the Book The iterative nature of agile development is perfect for experience-based, continuous improvement. Tracking systems, test and build tools, source control, continuous integration, and other built-in parts of a project lifecycle throw off a wealth of data you can use to improve your products, processes, and teams. The question is, how to do it? Agile Metrics in Action teaches you how. This practical book is a rich resource for an agile team that aims to use metrics to objectively measure performance. You'll learn how to gather the data that really count, along with how to effectively analyze and act upon the results. Along the way, you'll discover techniques all team members can use for better individual accountability and team performance. Practices in this book will work with any development process or tool stack. For code-based examples, this book uses Groovy, Grails, and MongoDB. What's Inside Use the data you generate every day from CI and Scrum Improve communication, productivity, transparency, and morale Objectively measure performance Make metrics a natural byproduct of your development process About the Author Christopher Davis has been a software engineer and team leader for over 15 years. He has led numerous teams to successful delivery using agile methodologies. Table of Contents PART 1 MEASURING AGILE TEAMS Measuring agile performance Observing a live project PART 2 COLLECTING AND ANALYZING YOUR TEAM'S DATA Trends and data from project-tracking systems Trends and data from source control Trends and data from CI and deployment servers Data from your production systems PART 3 APPLYING METRICS TO YOUR TEAMS, PROCESSES, AND SOFTWARE Working with the data you're collecting: the sum of the parts Measuring the technical quality of your software Publishing metrics Measuring your team against the agile principles

"I set myself the task of describing the 'humane, start with what you do now approach to change' not as a productivity tool, but as a management method built around a strong framework of values-a way to help organizations work better for their people, their customers, and other stakeholders." - Mike Burrows, author Kanban from the Inside takes a distinctive approach to the Kanban Method-using a system of nine values to explain what it is, to give insight into how its practitioners think, and to offer practical advice on how to apply it. Readers new to Kanban will understand why and how it works, while those with experience will appreciate its fresh perspective and the connections it makes with a range of related models. Part I draws on real-world experience to explain the Kanban Method through nine values: transparency, balance, collaboration, customer focus, flow, leadership, understanding, agreement, and respect. It also introduces Kanban's three Agendas and the Kanban Lens. Part II describes other models useful to understanding and applying the Kanban Method more effectively. It is a tour through related bodies of knowledge, including Systems Thinking, Lean, Agile, and Theory of Constraints. Part III is a step-by-step implementation guide that brings up to date the Systems Thinking Approach to Introducing Kanban (STATIK). It offers practical ways to capture and address in your Kanban implementation the needs of your organization, your colleagues, and your customers. --------------------------- "This book is the new standard that I will recommend to anyone getting started with Kanban." -Wolfgang Wiedenroth, Kanban Trainer/Coach, it-agile "It is not focused just on the mechanics of the kanban board; rather it explains everything you need around it to keep a Kanban initiative moving." -Klaus Leopold, Kanban Trainer/Coach, LEANability "This gave me a deeper understanding of familiar concepts and introduced concepts new to me." -Kevin Murray, Delivery Director, Valtech UK

Create Thriving, High-Performing Teams and Organizations with Scrumban Scrumban allows you to use Kanban as a catalyst for increasingly valuable changes to your existing software development processes, amplifying and expanding upon Scrum’s benefits. Now, there’s a definitive guide to Scrumban that explains what it is (and isn’t), how and why it works, and how to use it to improve both team and organizational performance. Comprehensive, coherent, and practical, The Scrumban [R]Evolution will help you incrementally apply proven Lean/Agile principles to get what matters most: pragmatic, bottom-line results. Pioneering Scrumban coach Ajay Reddy clarifies Scrumban’s core concepts and principles, and illuminates their application through real-life examples. He takes you from the absolute basics through sustainable adoption, and from choosing metrics to advanced forecasting and adaptive management. Whatever your role in the organization, this essential guide liberates you to tailor Kanban systems based on your unique challenges–and to solve delivery problems and improvement stagnation you haven’t been able to solve with Scrum alone. Discover how Scrumban can help you reignite stalled Agile initiatives Clarify crucial relationships between purpose, values, and performance Quickly develop shared understanding in and across teams Use Scrumban to better manage Product Owner/Customer expectations Improve the rollout of Scrum in any team using Scrumban Use Scrumban and let real improvements spread with least resistance Use the right metrics to gain insight, track progress, and improve forecasting Take advantage of Scrumban’s advanced capabilities as you gain experience Develop leaders to successfully guide your Agile initiatives Integrate modeling to reliably refine your forecasting and decision-making

The finite element method (FEM) is a computational tool widelyused to design and analyse complex structures. Currently,there are a number of different approaches to analysis using theFEM that vary according to the type of structure being analysed:beams and plates may use 1D or 2D approaches, shells and solids 2Dor 3D approaches, and methods that work for one structure aretypically not optimized to work for another. Finite Element Analysis of Structures Through UnifiedFormulation deals with the FEM used for the analysis of themechanics of structures in the case of linear elasticity. Thenovelty of this book is that the finite elements (FEs) areformulated on the basis of a class of theories of structures knownas the Carrera Unified Formulation (CUF). It formulates 1D, 2D and3D FEs on the basis of the same 'fundamental nucleus' that comesfrom geometrical relations and Hooke's law, and presents both 1Dand 2D refined FEs that only have displacement variables as in 3Delements. It also covers 1D and 2D FEs that make use of 'real'physical surfaces rather than ’artificial’ mathematicalsurfaces which are difficult to interface in CAD/CAE software. Key features: Covers how the refined formulation can be easily andconveniently used to analyse laminated structures, such as sandwichand composite structures, and to deal with multifield problems Shows the performance of different FE models through the 'besttheory diagram' which allows different models to be compared interms of accuracy and computational cost Introduces an axiomatic/asymptotic approach that reduces thecomputational cost of the structural analysis without affecting theaccuracy Introduces an innovative 'component-wise' approach to deal withcomplex structures Accompanied by a website hosting the dedicated software packageMUL2 (www.mul2.com) Finite Element Analysis of Structures Through UnifiedFormulation is a valuable reference for researchers andpractitioners, and is also a useful source of information forgraduate students in civil, mechanical and aerospaceengineering.

“Our job as Scrum professionals is to continually improve our ability to use Scrum to deliver products and services that help customers achieve valuable outcomes. This book will help you to improve your ability to apply Scrum.” –From the Foreword by Ken Schwaber, co-author of Scrum Mastering Professional Scrum is for anyone who wants to deliver increased value by using Scrum more effectively. Leading Scrum practitioners Stephanie Ockerman and Simon Reindl draw on years of Scrum training and coaching to help you return to first principles and apply Scrum with the professionalism required to achieve its transformative potential. The authors aim to help you focus on proven Scrum approaches for improving quality, getting and using fast feedback, and becoming more adaptable, instead of “going through the motions” and settling for only modest improvements. Whether you’re a Scrum Master, Development Team member, or Product Owner, you’ll find practical advice for facing challenges with transparency and courage, overcoming a wide array of common challenges, and continually improving your Scrum practice. Realistically assess your current Scrum practice, and identify areas for improvement Recognize what a great Scrum Team looks like and get there Focus on “Done”–not “sort-of-Done” or “almost-Done” Measure and optimize the value delivered by every Product Increment Improve the way you plan, develop, and grow Clear away wider organizational impediments to agility and professionalism Overcome common misconceptions that stand in the way of progress Register your book for convenient access to downloads, updates, and/or corrections as they become available. See inside book for details.