“Clarity adorns profound thoughts.” – Luc de Clapiers
In the world of Agile, iteration goals play a crucial role in coordinating the efforts of Agile teams. These goals serve as a high-level summary of the business and technical objectives that the team aims to achieve within a specific iteration. Whether the team follows Scrum or Kanban, iteration goals provide a shared language for maintaining alignment, managing dependencies, and making necessary adjustments during the execution of a Program Increment (PI).
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Aligning Team Members to a Common Purpose
Iteration goals act as a guiding light, aligning team members to a common purpose. By clearly defining the business value they intend to deliver, both the team and the Product Owner can work together to align their efforts with the team’s PI objectives. This shared purpose not only fosters collaboration but also helps the team stay focused on their goals amidst the fast-paced nature of iterations.
Aligning Teams to Common Program PI Objectives and Managing Dependencies
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Agile teams are not standalone entities; they are integral parts of a larger Agile Release Train (ART). In order to ensure alignment with program PI objectives, teams must communicate and coordinate with other teams and the Release Train Engineer (RTE). Iteration goals facilitate this alignment and provide the necessary context for identifying and resolving dependencies, ensuring a smooth and cohesive execution across the entire ART.
Providing Transparency and Management Information
Effective scaling of agile practices requires transparency and management involvement. While management delegates responsibility to the teams, they still need to have an understanding of what is happening and why. Iteration goals provide a simple and transparent summary of the team’s progress, allowing management to stay informed without micromanaging. This summary helps managers evaluate the effectiveness of the development organization and the value being delivered, thereby enabling them to drive improvements and eliminate any impediments.
Figure 4. Iteration goals provide transparency and support communication with management
While Kanban teams may have a different approach to planning, iteration goals still hold significance when they are part of an ART. They provide transparency, alignment, and a shared purpose, ensuring that everyone is on the same page.
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In conclusion, iteration goals are a vital component of Agile teams. They bring clarity to the team’s objectives, align team members and teams to a common purpose, facilitate coordination and dependency management, and provide transparency and management information. By setting clear iteration goals, Agile teams can navigate their way towards success in an organized and efficient manner.
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[1] Leffingwell, Dean. Agile Software Requirements: Lean Requirements Practices for Teams, Programs, and the Enterprise. Addison-Wesley, 2011.
Last update: 10 February 2021
Source: https://t-tees.com
Category: WHY
