The Power of Flow Metrics This article is the fifth in a series of related articles that started with Engineering Leaderships Biggest Challenge – Friction with Business Stakeholders. In the previous four articles, I frequently discussed topics that hinder engineerings ability to improve software delivery in organisations. Recognising that many of these issues stem from … Read more
Where Does the Time Go? In a previous post, Engineering Leaderships Biggest Challenge, I highlighted the frustrations that can exist between business stakeholders and engineering teams, especially regarding the perception that features are taking too long to deliver. In today’s fast-paced business environment, stakeholders often hope that new ideas or customer requests can be implemented … Read more
Balancing Demand and Capacity At some point in my career, I discovered that having an aggressive “can do” approach leads to much better outcomes for both my team and myself in business settings. It can be hard work ignoring my inner cautious engineer in order to embrace a more aggressive “let’s give it a go” … Read more
Problem – Our work is invisible In software development, one of the biggest yet often overlooked issues that we experience is the invisibility of our work. All code exists as bits and bytes on a developer’s laptop or in cloud storage. Unlike non-digital industries where the work product is tangible, what happens during the software … Read more
Looking back on my career in Software Engineering, I believe that the most challenging issue I’ve had to overcome is not technical but people-related and organisational. I believe engineering leaderships biggest challenge is widespread in our industry, as I’ve encountered it in every company I’ve worked in. Early in my career, I struggled with it, … Read more
Introduction Jira workflows guide issues through the various stages of your process, from creation to completion. However, in many organisations, teams can take a casual approach to defining their workflow, losing the opportunity to develop meaningful flow metrics and enhance overall efficiency. In this article, we’ll explore how to enhance your Jira workflows so that … Read more
Cycle time is a crucial metric in project management and agile methodologies that measures the amount of time it takes to complete a task or process from start to finish. It is an essential indicator of efficiency and productivity, helping teams understand how quickly they can deliver value to customers. In this article, we will … Read more
Developers use many different metrics to measure code health, team productivity and delivery progress. Code coverage, Velocity, Cycle Time and Change Failure Rate are all good examples. However, in my opinion and experience, Flow Efficiency of software development processes is an infrequently used metric which offers the most significant insights of all. That is, how … Read more
In the bygone era of manufacturing, executives could simply walk the factory floor to gauge progress and identify problems. The sight of production lines in motion provided a tangible representation of work in progress. Executives could witness the assembly of products, observe the movement of materials, and identify bottlenecks with their own eyes. This visibility … Read more
Software engineering leaders face a unique and difficult challenge: they are accountable for both the technical intricacies of development and the strategic imperatives of the business. Compounding this challenge is the inherent invisibility of software development, which often leaves business executives perplexed and disconnected from the realities of the development process. This disconnect frequently leads … Read more
