There is a huge gap between what we do and what we track – and that is the gap between code and tickets.
There are many great tools out there that can you help you manage one or the other, but the gap between them still exists and all comes down to one simple statement.
I don’t want my work to be tracked.
“I want to be creative”
“I don’t want to be a factory”
These are valid statements, I dislike the term “software factory” and have always thought of software as an artistic pursuit. But at some point, you have to deliver. Just like the Pizza, it’s got to be delivered, otherwise why order it?
But the statement isn’t about wanting to be tracked, that’s not where the root of the gap is, the root of the gap is generally…
I don’t want people to know how long it actually took.
That’s the gap, that’s the problem we need to solve, and the only way to do that is to build that into your team with all levels of trust so everyone can be comfortable saying how long it took to accomplish something without worrying about the response.
Maybe that statement isn’t your gap, but if your team member’s first response is that they don’t want to be tracked, there is probably something deeper there you need to work with them on before the gap becomes too big and your numbers become nothing.
