Axelrod

There’s been plenty of discussion recently within my company around KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), essentially how we define success. The question of how to measure the productivity of a software development team has been hotly debated for years. In general, I agree with Martin Fowler that “any true measure of software development productivity must be based on delivered business value”.

That being said, this post is more about what happens after we agree on the metrics. I’d like to propose that, once they are locked-in for a given period, the team should “detach” from them.

Detachment from a specific outcome is a philosophy reflected in many religions. New Age guru Deepak Chopra explains - “You don’t give up the intention, and you don’t give up the desire. You give up the attachment to the result.” While this sounds very nice in a Zen sort of way, it also seems to go against the “eyes on the prize” mentality. If you’re not focusing on the end result, then what are you focusing on?

Here are a few real-world analogies I’ve found useful in answering that question.

Focus on the craft

Anyone who watches even a little television has likely heard of Bryan Cranston. He was the lead actor in what’s been called by some the best television series of all time, Breaking Bad. For the nearly 30 years prior however, Bryan was working steadily through small roles and commercials.

This interview with Cranston is fascinating in part because the interviewee, comedian Marc Maron, is himself openly bitter about how late in life success came to him compared to his peers.

Marc: Were there points in the career where you felt “this isn’t happening fast enough” or “this isn’t working out”?

Cranston: No.

M: Really??

C: Never.

M: That’s an amazing sort of… determination.

C: Well… I didn’t have any attachment to an outcome. I think when people enter this business saying “well.. I’m gonna give it a year and if I haven’t made it by then…” That’s attaching your life to an outcome in an ambiguous kind of way. But if you love this art form and you commit your life to it… then all you really want is opportunity to be able make a living… and wherever that takes you.

The wisdom here can be applied to many areas of life… but in this context, to me it means that focusing on doing the work well - being a craftsman - will produce better software than focusing on the final product.

Focus on the next action

Last year, my son’s little league team had a pitcher who always looked great in practice, but he was really struggling in the games. The coach’s advice that got him past the challenge was simple:

Throw Strikes, Not Srike-outs

By worrying about the end-goal of striking the batter out, the boy was losing focus on the most important thing: the next pitch . For a developer, this could mean not getting overwhelmed by all thew work scheduled for a release. The story in front of you has been broken down into tasks - keep your head down and focus on the next task. Completing this story is like throwing a strike in the iteration!

Focus on what you can control

This final anecdote from David Axelrod (chief strategist for both of Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns) is perhaps the best example of “set it & forget it”…

…before the 2012 election… a small group of reporters, anchors, and executives were in a conference room, clustered around David Axelrod, who was conducting President Obama’s reelection campaign. At one point, someone asked Axelrod about the existential challenges of conducting a campaign in an environment where there were so many factors out of his control— from the European debt crisis to a potential al- Qaeda plot to Israel’s saber-rattling against Iran.

Axelrod responded, All we can do is everything we can do.

Often, there will be several factors outside of your team’s control that can affect a success metric. Make the most impact on the pieces you have control over and don’t sweat the rest.

So… figure out your KPIs… write them down… but don’t obsess over them. Because when you’re too worried about failure, you’re more likely to fail.

###

Photo is David Axelrod & then Senator Obama during the 2008 campaign.