The Best Metric for Your Product Team
Sometimes metrics can get in the way of a good conversation.
A few weeks back, I had a conversation with a peer coach who was introduced to me. As we chatted, we discussed several aspects of coaching. At one point, he asked me a question that has proven difficult for me to answer.
Well, to clarify, I gave an immediate answer, but I have since changed my mind about it. The question has been weighing heavy on my mind for the past few weeks. I keep coming back to it. After pondering on it, I have a much better answer.
The other coach asked, “If you could track only two metrics for an Agile team, what would they be?”
As he was asking the question, I became triggered as soon as he uttered the word “metrics.” My experience with metrics has been poor, to say the least. They are far too often used as a weapon versus input for improvement. Metrics tend to make teams feel like a laboratory experiment versus human beings.
