When someone asks me to measure something.... I instantly say the answer is 42.... what are you going to do about it?
Can software leaders use metrics without damaging culture?
21–29 of 29 posts
Re: Can software leaders use metrics without damaging culture?
#22I've been stuck working on a problem for the last two weeks, I know this by the lingering feeling of dread, and anyone can tell by the empty squares in my commit heat-map. How can metrics help me make progress, except to tell me to try something new: Read papers, study similar solutions, reach out to other that can help. Nothings has worked so far, but it does not deter me. I did learn a curious fact about the produc…
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Re: Can software leaders use metrics without damaging culture?
#23I've been stuck working on a problem for the last two weeks, I know this by the lingering feeling of dread, and anyone can tell by the empty squares in my commit heat-map. How can metrics help me make progress, except to tell me to try something new: Read papers, study similar solutions, reach out to other that can help. Nothings has worked so far, but it does not deter me. I did learn a curious fact about the produc…
Write down what you do. Regularly talk to a colleague about your thoughts, it helps to get them clearer.
And some things just need weeks of reflection, research, trying things out. Rome wasn't built in a day. When you'll get there you'll have produced something of actual value.
Re: Can software leaders use metrics without damaging culture?
#24What is this "culture" thing in the article? It's undefined although apparently there's a danger of it being bad. Things can "impact" it. It can be grown and it can be damaged. I'm left thinking it may be a god or it may even be a skin rash. What are they selling? Oh, project management software.
A try: the set of circumstances that cause your current employees to be motivated and productive.
If you currently have employees that have a lot of freedom, responsibility and little oversight and who thrive on that, then introducing more formal metrics can make them feel their work is becoming less fun and they become less motivated. But other employees like clear structure and formal methods and they'd welcome such things.
Usually the company has one style of management from the start, and people who like working under that style self-selected over time. That gives you your "culture", and changing it means you may make your company's management style less of a good fit for its employees.
Re: Can software leaders use metrics without damaging culture?
#25I've been stuck working on a problem for the last two weeks, I know this by the lingering feeling of dread, and anyone can tell by the empty squares in my commit heat-map. How can metrics help me make progress, except to tell me to try something new: Read papers, study similar solutions, reach out to other that can help. Nothings has worked so far, but it does not deter me. I did learn a curious fact about the produc…
I find the best way to deal with long running, difficult problems is to (1) document what you are doing and (2) prototype as fast and often as possible. That way you have a measurable record of a systematic attempt to tackle the problem. If the team metrics don’t capture that, you have an easy argument to make that they should and a practical way to do so (commits to a readme or wiki or prototype branch are measurable).
It also helps your teammates and managers identify when you are spinning your wheels and need help. As a tech lead/architect, I find prototypes and documentation about a hard problem extremely helpful for identifying when I’ve made a bad technical decision and selected an approach that simply isn’t efficient or workable. Otherwise, it’s hard to distinguish between that and when the individual dev is simply not up to the job.
It’s also much easier to solicit feedback when you’re stuck if you can offer a record of what you have tried.
Re: Can software leaders use metrics without damaging culture?
#26I've been stuck working on a problem for the last two weeks, I know this by the lingering feeling of dread, and anyone can tell by the empty squares in my commit heat-map. How can metrics help me make progress, except to tell me to try something new: Read papers, study similar solutions, reach out to other that can help. Nothings has worked so far, but it does not deter me. I did learn a curious fact about the produc…
Yeah I'm gonna need a citation on that one Chief
> Unfortunately, I can't find the exact numbers anymore, but it was staggeringly low, something in the vein of 1 word written per hour, 1 note composed per day, and one new joke per week.
This is so ridiculous as to be offensive. Bring the downvotes, I don't care.
Re: Can software leaders use metrics without damaging culture?
#27If you skipped straight to the HN comments, the article is worth reading. The author makes some thoughtful suggestions and points out some common pitfalls. Although recently, I've noticed another reason to tread lightly with metrics: Metrics have become a highly-charged topic among developers who consume a lot of Twitter, Reddit, HN and other developer chatter. The cynical response to any metrics tracking program is…
I'd like to see evidence that cynicism about metrics leads to abuse and gaming rather than just leaving. That perspective seems cynical in itself. In my experience metrics make no difference on success, the dynamics of the team and the workflow have been set up for success or failure before you started measuring it. Metrics should never be a target, once a measure becomes a target it ceases to be a good measure. Meas…
Saying that the team dynamics have set up for success or failure on the get go sheds light only on teams that are on the positive side of that statement. What if my team is on the negative side? Should I just accept the loss and continue to a new project?
I agree that the dynamics of a dev team are extremely important. But how can one drive to get better without understanding their current status?
In my personal experience, there should be an open conversation between the team on deciding what to measure and what does the team want to improve on even if the team already has good dynamics. My moral as a developer was always up when my team got props for something, because I was a part of that success.
I think the focus needs to be on the team as a whole, instead of getting dragged into a comparisons game. The developers should be aware that this isn't an individuals race.
If you work in a large organization then you will still be measured even if you're team doesn't take the measurements on their own. Good metrics can only benefit you since you can control the conversation with your own data instead of data from a corporate figure that only looks at you as another row in their spreadsheet.
Re: Can software leaders use metrics without damaging culture?
#28Earlier quoted context omitted.
> You’d never take a team wide metric like cycle time (which is a function of the whole company) and use it to evaluate a single person In theory, yes. But in practice, I bet there are a lot of people here who have stories of a metric that was supposed to only be used team wide, but was used for evaluating an individual.
team metrics show the team is underperforming? team lead, CTO, etc. gets canned
Honestly I don't think you can avoid getting measured, even if the person measuring only does it in their head. If you feel you're doing a good job than it's best for you to measure that on your own and show proof for that instead of your boss relating on their instincts...
Also if you feel you can do better than it's probably best that you understand why in order to improve that, so your boss won't have the need to let you go.
Everyone's looking at the one negative side but there are tons of positives that apply to a large percentage of the worforce
Re: Can software leaders use metrics without damaging culture?
#29Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'd like to see evidence that cynicism about metrics leads to abuse and gaming rather than just leaving. That perspective seems cynical in itself. In my experience metrics make no difference on success, the dynamics of the team and the workflow have been set up for success or failure before you started measuring it. Metrics should never be a target, once a measure becomes a target it ceases to be a good measure. Meas…
Saying that the team dynamics have set up for success or failure on the get go sheds light only on teams that are on the positive side of that statement. What if my team is on the negative side? Should I just accept the loss and continue to a new project? I agree that the dynamics of a dev team are extremely important. But how can one drive to get better without understanding their current status? In my personal expe…
It is a race of individuals when you see people on HN posting about making hundreds of thousands for doing the job of multiple people. Sure not everybody wants to do that. What is the point in hobbling those that do by forcing them to fit a measure?
The individual seeing with metrics is not the action taking mind. The person who sees through metrics is a heart hidden behind a corporate body. The heart cannot imagine greater heights, it can only regulate flow. Blood pressure spikes get eliminated for "normality".
This lack of thought and focus on flow eliminates morals and devalues changing forms and structures in favour of a mindless gigantism. Corporations don't change individuals, they lump responsibility for failure upon me's and you's. The corporation's goal is to grow the flow at human cost. I among many would prefer not become one of Howard's humanoids (Network 1976) and would instead prefer to go out on the stage of individual achievement, if at all. We are all vulnerable to the snakes that encircle and poison hearts. Ideas go in one side of the heart and come out the other side dead.