Reports - Metrics

Why do you think performance and productivity can be evaluated by reports or metrics, rather than actual delivery? Why would managers make such an evaluation if they are not the ones doing or consuming the work?

Ian, I agree with you that a potentially releasable Increment of “Done” product at the end of each Sprint is the best indicator. But like it or not, people just love to measure and compare, so when it comes to avoiding metrics, you can run, but you can't hide.
What would you say to a CEO who comes up to you and says something like: "Could you please demonstrate to me how effective Scrum really is?" Is it possible to answer to this question without any comparison and metrics that matter?

Diana, the most important piece of advice I can offer is to use metrics only for good, not for evil. So, if you can skip them, just do it.
Ilan Goldstein, the author of "Scrum shortcuts" , came up with a definition of good metrics which I'd like to quote: "Good metrics: Used a signal to help the team identify roughly where things are at and, more importantly, as a guide to help the team inspect and adapt its processes to improve over time".
If metrics are used for micromanaging an individual's or team performance over time, they are evil metrics.

> What would you say to a CEO who comes up to you and says something
> like: "Could you please demonstrate to me how effective Scrum really is?"

I would tell that CEO there is no indication Scrum would be effective in his or her organization at all, or at least not until there is an understanding of what value is.

I would tell that CEO there is no indication Scrum would be effective in his or her organization at all, or at least not until there is an understanding of what value is.

Don't you think it's right time to explain the meaning of the value to the CEO rather than just state that Scrum will not be suitable and/or effective to his/her organization?

Returning to the metrics. Relevant metrics may help in this situation, don't they, e.g business metrics and delivery capability metrics?

> Don't you think it's right time to explain the meaning of the value
> to the CEO rather than just state that Scrum will not be suitable
> and/or effective to his/her organization?

No. It would not be up to me (as a Scrum Master or coach) to explain the meaning of value to the CEO or the organization. It may however be the right time to encourage the CEO to think about what value does mean, who is accountable for it, and how it can be better delivered so more can be learned about it.

> Returning to the metrics. Relevant metrics may help in this situation,
> don't they, e.g business metrics and delivery capability metrics?

If we knew which metrics were relevant to the product, then they would be most relevant to the Product Owner. The PO may then explain them to the CEO and other stakeholders if it is useful to do so.

What kind of managers are we referring to? And why would they need more than what SCRUM already has (burn down, demo, review etc)?