The work performed by teams in each Sprint are the catalyst for achieving the Product Goal. But how do we know if the work items in a Sprint are contributing towards achieving the Product Goal?
When applying Evidence-Based Management we define our goals and document our current and starting states. The work performed should contribute to working towards immediate tactical goals and/or intermediate goals. To ensure progress that makes a difference, the goals should be accompanied with organisational goals, for example:
- Increase in users/subscribers (e.g. improved revenue)
- Increase in revenue per order (e.g., improved profitability)
- Decrease in manually handled transactions (e.g. improved operational effectiveness)
- Decrease in lead time for business processes (e.g., improved operational efficiency)
The time horizon for results will differ depending on the context of change. Teams may need to track the effectiveness of change over multiple Sprints to determine if the change has brought the organisation closer to the Product Goal.