The common practice of starting with requirements leads to the common complaint that requirements change; we don't know what we want yet, and our users aren't very good at defining requirements, so we'll let them emerge. While these are common, they are usually a symptom of a missing piece of information.
We don't know what capabilities are needed and what is the Concept of Operations that those capabilities will be implemented; the project as likely to fail before it starts. Suppose we do know the Capabilities and the Concept of Operations. In that case, we can then measure the progress of our work effort, not in the passage of time, consumption of resources (including money), or the production of stories or story points (which are unit-less and therefore pretty much meaningless to those paying for our work), but in Measures of Effectiveness, Measures of Performance, and Technical Performance Measures.
Concept of Operations
Let's start with a formal definition of the Concept of Operations
This tells us that we need to start with what DONE looks like. DONE is not a set of features. DONE is not stories or story points. DONE is not modules, databases, or bent metal. DONE is the ability, the capability to do something of value in exchange for the money we've spent.
The assessment of a capability is its Measure of Effectiveness. These are operational measures of success closely related to the mission's achievements or operational objectives evaluated in the working environment under a specific set of conditions. We need to define these upfront. The Measures of Effectiveness:
- Are stated in units meaningful to the buyer,
- Focus on capabilities independent of any technical implementation,
- Are connected to the mission success or fulfillment of the business case
They are not emergent. They are descriptions of success. When we treat them as emergent, our project is chasing a moving target and is headed to the ditch.
Next are Measures of Performance. They characterize physical or functional attributes relating to the system operation, measured or estimated under specific conditions. The Measures of Performance are:
- Attributes that assure the system has the capability and capacity to perform,
- Assessment of the system to ensure it meets design requirements to satisfy the MoE.
Next comes the Technical Performance Measures. These attributes determine how well a system or system element is satisfying or expected to satisfy a technical requirement or goal. The Technical Performance Measures:
- Assess design progress,
- Define compliance with performance requirements,
- Identify technical risks,
- Are limited to critical thresholds,
- Include projected performance.
Notice we have not mentioned coding, development methods like Scrum or XP, teams, paired programming, or anything to do with building code. With these items in place, all those activities have no reason other than to consume money and pass the time. None of those items have anything to do with moving the project toward DONE other than spending money and passing the time. Oh, you'll get a pile of stories implemented. Are they the correct stories? How would you know? You'll perform lots of Test Driven Design. It is the right design. How would you know?
Oh, your customer is going to prioritize those stories and features. How are they going to know in the absence of knowing what DONE looks like?
Capabilities Based Planning
This has been presented before, but now it has a reason - the Concept of Operations.
- What's the value at risk?
- What are the critical success factors for the project?
- What information do we need to assess our progress to plan? We have a plan. A strategy for showing up on or near the scheduled need date at or near the planned cost.
- What will prevent this project from succeeding, and what will we do about those things before they impact our success?
- How will we measure the physical percent complete from our work effort?
Do We Know the Answer To Those Rights?
- Measures of Effectiveness
- Measures of Performance
- Technical Performance Measures
NEVER
- Passage of time
- Consumption of money
- Production of features
- Absorption of hours of labor
