I'd love to say the image above is an extreme example, but unfortunately it's a reality. ๐๐ ๐๐ค๐ฃ'๐ฉ ๐๐ฃ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฉ๐ ๐ค๐ช๐ง ๐๐ช๐จ๐ฉ๐ค๐ข๐๐ง๐จ ๐๐ง๐๐ฆ๐ช๐๐ฃ๐ฉ๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐ฃ๐ค๐ช๐๐.
Let's think about metrics for a second.. Velocity this, burndown that, cycle time, churn rate. Bla bla bla.
How many metrics are there which measure teams on how often they engage with real users? ๐๐ค๐ค ๐๐๐ฌ.
We are becoming increasingly data driven. Numbers focused. Page views, number of clickthroughs and a number of other vanity metrics. Some of these are leading, some lagging.
This data focus is abstraction as it reduces customers down to numbers and makes it easier to forget that they are beating hearts behind a website or app. It makes it easier to focus on profiteering over what your customers actually want.
๐๐ค ๐ฃ๐ค๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐๐๐ฉ ๐พ๐๐ง๐๐จ?
Simply, try a few experiments for me.
- Introduce the idea of GEMBA walks to your teams.
What is a GEMBA walk?
Toyota developed the concept of a Gemba Walk. The translation for which is rooted in the Japanese language and means โthe real place.โ Also widely known as โthe place where value is created.โ
More details about Gemba walks can be found here
- Consider metrics such as 'Days since last user engagement' as a means of anchoring your teams to customer value and needs.
What is 'Days since last user engagement?'
Days since last user engagement is a metric which helps anchor your teams to their customers. It is simply the number of days since a user / customer was last engaged. This could be through a conversation, a demonstration, a focus group, an interview, there are a myriad of ways.
This is one of the few metrics I have seen in the agile world which relates to the first principle of the agile manifesto - "Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software".
How does it work?
Ensure there is a visible reminder either physically via post-it notes, or virtually via a widget, countdown or addition to a collaborate space which shows how many days it has been since a user was last engaged. Think of a 'Days since last incident' counter that many production plants have to emphasise safety.
You'll thank yourself for trying these experiments.
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