Chapter 1. Making metrics useful
This chapter covers
- The difference between measurements and metrics
- What we mean by pragmatic metrics
- Trailing and leading indicators
- The purpose and functions of metrics
- Factors to consider when choosing metrics
This book is designed for a person at the bottom of the management hierarchy in a software development organization. A person in such a position usually has direct responsibility for delivery as well as management duties at the team level. In a traditional organization, this role is usually called Project Manager. In contemporary organizations, people with similar responsibilities may have a title like Team Lead, Development Lead, Delivery Lead, Scrum Master, or Iteration Manager. In a peer-based, self-organizing team, these responsibilities may be shared across all team members.
The purpose of the book is to provide practical guidance to people who need to steer work in progress and who want to measure the effectiveness of process-improvement efforts. It offers a way to do so that doesn’t depend on popular buzzwords and doesn’t require the work to be done in any particular way. It suggests what can be measured based on organizational realities, and not necessarily what should be measured in an ideal world.