Random Agile Thoughts – Completing a Goal

In one of the conversations we (me and my fellow Agile Coach) have with my boss, we were given this scenario:

The team was not able to complete a goal it has set. The team worked hard on the target, but in the end failed to meet the criteria required for goal completion.

And we were asked this question: “What will you say to the team?”

My answer is this:

I would say to the team that we have failed to complete the goal we have set for ourselves. We acknowledge the hard work we put into this effort and we appreciate the learnings we have gained. I would encourage the team to think about why we were not able to complete the goal. This reflection will help the team grow and become better.

I think the completion of the goal is more important than the effort put into completing the goal. When you set a goal, you set it because you are after the value you will gain from it. You don’t set a goal just to work on the goal. You don’t set a target just so you can try to hit it. You set a target because you want to hit it.

I am not discounting the effort and the learnings you gain from doing the work to meet a goal. This all very important. I am just saying that you do not lose sight of the bottomline – you have to complete the goal.

I hope this random thought helps you to be more Agile. 😊