Why your devs are gaming metrics and what to do about it

You’re exploring the group’s dashboard with a way of satisfaction, noticing the colourful inexperienced of Jira charts, the sleek progress of burndown charts, and the record-breaking variety of closed tickets. Everything appears to be operating splendidly. Yet, regardless of these constructive indicators, there’s a bit of voice in your thoughts that makes you pause. You sense that though the numbers look nice, the product isn’t transferring as swiftly because it seems, and someway, the standard of the work feels a bit off.

What you might be experiencing is a standard, and infrequently refined, drawback in software program improvement: a group that has discovered to sport the system. This isn’t about blaming engineers. It’s about understanding human nature and an idea generally known as “Goodhart’s Law,” which states: “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.” Your group isn’t attempting to deceive you; they’re merely optimizing for what you’ve instructed them is essential. If the variety of closed tickets is the first measure of success, they’ll shut as many tickets as potential.

Metrics don’t equal administration

There are just a few key methods this drawback manifests. One widespread tactic is altering the ticket sort, as an example, reclassifying bugs as “improvements” to maintain the bug depend low. Another is the stress to shut hundreds of tickets in a brief interval with out anybody asking why there have been so many tickets within the first place. The drawback right here isn’t Jira itself – it’s a robust device when used accurately – however the way in which it’s typically deployed.

Jira is just not an alternative to administration. When it turns into the only real supply of fact for a group’s efficiency, you’re not managing outcomes; you’re managing numbers. This inevitably turns your improvement course of right into a function manufacturing facility. Your engineers are simply cogs in a machine, measured by their output of widgets (i.e., tickets), not by the worth they’re creating. This results in a demoralized group, a drop in high quality, and a product that falls wanting its potential.

Shifting focus from output to outcomes

So, what are you able to do as a frontrunner to interrupt this cycle and create a extra sincere and productive setting?

First, re-evaluate your metrics. If you might be nonetheless counting on self-importance metrics like “number of tickets closed” or “story points per sprint” as your major measure of success, it’s time for a change. These metrics might be helpful for inside monitoring and figuring out bottlenecks, however they need to by no means be the premise for efficiency evaluations or group compensation. Instead, concentrate on metrics which are tied on to enterprise worth. For instance, what’s the buyer satisfaction rating for a brand new function? Has a latest efficiency enchancment led to a measurable enhance in person engagement? These are the metrics that matter.

Next, prioritize context and communication over numbers. Instead of merely a dashboard, have conversations along with your group. Ask them what they’re engaged on and why. What challenges are they dealing with? What buyer drawback are they attempting to unravel? By making a tradition the place open communication is valued greater than a inexperienced chart, you empower your engineers to be problem-solvers, not simply ticket closers.

Finally, give your group a way of possession. When engineers really feel a direct connection to the product’s success, they’re much less more likely to have interaction in conduct that undermines its high quality, even when it makes the metrics look good. Encourage them to take part in buyer suggestions periods, bug bash occasions, and product technique conferences. When your group is accountable for the final result of their work, not simply the output, you’ll discover that the metrics in your dashboard begin to change into a extra sincere and correct reflection of actuality.