Stelian ROMANProject Manager| MicroSafetyCarlingford, New South Wales, Australia
In the 'old days' we used Function points to benchmark projects. Are Story points good enough to do the same? I tried and it didn't work. I hope that someone else found a way to collect data and compare Agile project teams from different organizations.
I feel the need to mention that the benchmarking process that I am looking for is the process of "comparing one's business processes and performance metrics to industry bests and/or best practices from other industries typically based on quality, time and cost".
It is not the bench marking, as in putting a stick near every bench that you find on the street :) Saving Changes...
I'd focus on valuable rather than vanity metrics, and even FPs (unless dollarized) are vanity metrics.
I might look at metrics such as:
- Escaped defect counts
- Lead time
- Features used/features delivered
Kiron
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3 replies by Stelian ROMAN
Jan 15, 2019 4:36 PM
Stelian ROMAN
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Thank you Kiron. The right Metrics are very important. FP are, in my opinion, the best metric for size. it has a lot of challenges in the new world but it is the best. One reason for my question is to find a better sizing method.
Bechmarking using FP is looking at metrics like defects escaped, time, cost etc per FP. I agree with that approach because it is important to relate defects, thank you for not calling them bugs :), to the size and complexity of the release. The benchmark process (ISBSG) that I used looks at defects escaped in production only. It also does the defects/FP, Cost/FP and other similar metrics. The most important thing was that they have very good counting guidelines (2% difference between different counters) and a reliable database that can be used for benchmarking between industries, organizations, technologies and industries. It is a very scientific (maybe too scientific) process and require experience. That's the main problem that I can see. I believe that a good FP counter needs at least 5 years experience only in that field.
Jan 15, 2019 4:37 PM
Stelian ROMAN
...
Lead time is very important but hard to use in benchmarking because it is industry and technology specific. For internal benchmarking is probably one the most important Agile metrics.
Jan 15, 2019 4:40 PM
Stelian ROMAN
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Features used/delivered is risky. It is very close to story points sizes. It can be very easy manipulated.
FP originally was called Feature Points but it it evolved to something else and the name was dropped. I have my own metric for features closer to FP than to SP but It works only for software projects.
Saving Changes...
Stelian ROMANProject Manager| MicroSafetyCarlingford, New South Wales, Australia
Jan 15, 2019 4:23 PM
Replying to Kiron Bondale
...
Stelian -
I'd focus on valuable rather than vanity metrics, and even FPs (unless dollarized) are vanity metrics.
I might look at metrics such as:
- Escaped defect counts
- Lead time
- Features used/features delivered
Kiron
Thank you Kiron. The right Metrics are very important. FP are, in my opinion, the best metric for size. it has a lot of challenges in the new world but it is the best. One reason for my question is to find a better sizing method.
Bechmarking using FP is looking at metrics like defects escaped, time, cost etc per FP. I agree with that approach because it is important to relate defects, thank you for not calling them bugs :), to the size and complexity of the release. The benchmark process (ISBSG) that I used looks at defects escaped in production only. It also does the defects/FP, Cost/FP and other similar metrics. The most important thing was that they have very good counting guidelines (2% difference between different counters) and a reliable database that can be used for benchmarking between industries, organizations, technologies and industries. It is a very scientific (maybe too scientific) process and require experience. That's the main problem that I can see. I believe that a good FP counter needs at least 5 years experience only in that field. Saving Changes...
Stelian ROMANProject Manager| MicroSafetyCarlingford, New South Wales, Australia
Jan 15, 2019 4:23 PM
Replying to Kiron Bondale
...
Stelian -
I'd focus on valuable rather than vanity metrics, and even FPs (unless dollarized) are vanity metrics.
I might look at metrics such as:
- Escaped defect counts
- Lead time
- Features used/features delivered
Kiron
Lead time is very important but hard to use in benchmarking because it is industry and technology specific. For internal benchmarking is probably one the most important Agile metrics. Saving Changes...
Stelian ROMANProject Manager| MicroSafetyCarlingford, New South Wales, Australia
Jan 15, 2019 4:23 PM
Replying to Kiron Bondale
...
Stelian -
I'd focus on valuable rather than vanity metrics, and even FPs (unless dollarized) are vanity metrics.
I might look at metrics such as:
- Escaped defect counts
- Lead time
- Features used/features delivered
Kiron
Features used/delivered is risky. It is very close to story points sizes. It can be very easy manipulated.
FP originally was called Feature Points but it it evolved to something else and the name was dropped. I have my own metric for features closer to FP than to SP but It works only for software projects. Saving Changes...
