Considerations

Insufficient Engineering Capability is unhealthy because it will either impose unsustainable workloads on the team or extend the timescales for delivery. In either case the situation is not sustainable and we will not be able to meet the expectations of our customers and colleagues.

Excess Engineering Capability is unhealthy because we could be creating more value for the business by using the excess capability for other work. It is unhealthy for the team because there will be an insufficient sense of purpose and motivation in doing the work.

Engineering Capability can be altered by changing team size or skill level or both. Our desire for stable, integrated teams means that we seek to minimise changes to team membership. Consequently, most changes to capability will be realised by changing skill levels.

Changes to the scope and priorities set in the Roadmap may change the Engineering Capability needed. This indicator focuses on ensuring we match the supply of capability from the teams to the demand for capability from the roadmap.

Levels

Green

Appropriate Level Of Capability And Challenge

The capability of the teams that engineer, operate and support the Product is appropriate to the ambition of the most immediate time-frame of the Roadmap and the levels of service being provided. The features described in the most immediate time-frame of the Roadmap are deliverable within that time-frame without imposing unsustainable workloads.

The capacity and skill of team is sufficiently utilised to deliver a sense of purpose and satisfaction in performing the work.

Amber

Plans Exist To Correct Capability Mismatch

The capability of the teams engineering the Product is not appropriate to the ambition of the most immediate time-frame of the Roadmap or the levels of service being demanded. There may be insufficient capability to deliver creating unsustainable workloads. Alternatively there may excess capability limiting value creation and the teams' sense of purpose and satisfaction.

There is an awareness of the mismatch in capability and teams are collaborating with stakeholders to identify and plan how the mismatch can be overcome.

Red

No Plans To Correct Mismatched Capability

There is an uresolved mis-match between the capability supplied from the teams and the demand for capability from the Roadmap and levels of service. If there is a substantial shortfall in capability, teams will not be able to sustainably deliver the aspirations expressed in the Roadmap. If there is substantial excess capacity, colleagues will be bored and unable to derive a sense of purpose and satisfaction from their work.

There is no shared awareness of the mismatch, so that there are no relevant plans to correct the mismatch.