Focus On Sharing Progress

The team shares its progress openly as a matter of routine. Sharing occurs in the context of open team events, but also in the context of making updates to its plans as work is completed available to any stakeholder. Progress is also reflected in updates to the backlog and roadmap. The use of information radiators is a natural part of the teams culture and working practice.

In a physical work environment, we share our progress by updating information on whiteboards. In a virtual work environment progress is shared using the standard tools adopted by the team. Most importantly the team does not do any additional work to provide visibility of its progress, so there is no marginal cost associated with the team’s transparency.

Team events that engage with the progress of work are normally kept open to stakeholders. The team takes steps to encourage stakeholders to attend.

We have observed that, in many organisations, there is a demand for special presentation of progress by senior stakeholders. We specifically resist such demands because of the cost of providing the special presentation. For example, there should be no question of providing a periodic progress report for consumption by the senior stakeholder group.

Nor should the demands of senior stakeholders be permitted to constrain the choices of the team around how progress is managed and reported. We have observed that demands for standardisation of presentation are often used to impose such constraints.

However, the teams within the organisation should work to collaborate and converge on a useful standard for presenting progress. Such standards are permissive in nature so that, when teams have different needs for tracking progress, these can be taken into account. The standards may take the needs of senior stakeholders into account, but focus on the needs of the primary stakeholders - the customers and the teams.

Implementing Practices

• Sustain Status Of Work