Many companies today proudly say they are Agile. They run Daily Scrums, use JIRA, follow Spotify’s squad model, and ensure employees are Agile certified. But the big question remains. Since 2020, countless organizations have invested heavily in Agile transformation, hiring consultants, adopting DevOps, and providing training. But executives now ask, “Has our investment in Agile transformation actually paid off?” To answer this, we must measure agility. Agile isn’t just about moving faster, it’s about continuously delivering business value.
Agile Is Not Just About Speed
Imagine you’re an athlete. To know if you’re getting faster, you track your speed, not just wear new running shoes. Similarly, Agile isn’t about tools or ceremonies. Using JIRA or holding daily meetings doesn’t automatically make a company Agile. Being Agile means adapting to change, improving continuously, and delivering value that matters to customers. Moving quickly in the wrong direction doesn’t help. Agility is about staying relevant and maximizing outcomes, not outputs.
Why the Project Triangle Is Overrated?
Many companies still measure success by the old project triangle, on-time, on-budget, on-scope. But Agile organizations know these metrics don’t guarantee value.
- A product may launch on time but already be outdated.
- Features may be delivered on scope but remain unused.
- Staying on budget doesn’t guarantee customer satisfaction.
- Real agility is about increasing value, not just delivering against a plan.
Think of it like travel. If you plan every detail months in advance but unexpected rain disrupts your itinerary, only agility, adapting plans, saves the trip. Similarly, businesses must stay flexible and customer-focused.
Evidence-Based Management (EBM): Measuring Agility
Scrum.org introduced the Evidence-Based Management (EBM) framework to measure organizational agility. Instead of assumptions, it uses metrics across four Key Value Areas (KVAs):
Current Value (CV) – The value delivered today (like the blue dot on Google Maps).
Metrics: Customer satisfaction, product usage, revenue per employee.
Unrealised Value (UV) – The growth potential (like the destination pin on Google Maps).
Metrics: Market share, ROI, customer experience scores.
Time to Market (T2M) – Delivery speed (like your car’s speedometer).
Metrics: Lead time, deployment frequency, mean time to restore (DORA metrics).
Ability to Innovate (A2I) – The organization’s capacity to improve and solve problems (like the health of your car’s engine).
Metrics: Technical debt, defect trends, employee engagement, context switching.
Scrum Roles and EBM
Each Scrum accountability connects with EBM’s KVAs:
- Product Owner → Maximizing Business Value (Current Value + Unrealised Value).
- Scrum Master & Developers → Improving Delivery Capability (Time to Market + Ability to Innovate).
If teams only focus on speed without value, the Product Owner must revisit priorities. If speed compromises quality, the Scrum Master and Developers must reinforce technical excellence and a strong Definition of Done.
Why Ability to Innovate Matters More Than Speed?
Many organizations want faster delivery, but they ignore the root causes slowing them down:
- Growing technical debt
- Teams spread across too many projects
- Frequent production incidents
- Focus on quantity over quality
Like driving a car with a broken engine, you can’t go fast without fixing core issues. Improving Ability to Innovate ensures speed and quality in the long run.
Agility Has No Finish Line
Agility isn’t a project with an end date. It’s a journey of continuous improvement. The goal is to deliver more value today than yesterday. To achieve this, companies can build EBM dashboards using tools like Power BI or Tableau to track agility metrics in real time. And remember: If you don’t measure, you’re only assuming. And assumptions are risky.
Agility isn’t about looking Agile, it’s about proving it with measurable outcomes. If your company truly wants to maximize ROI from Agile transformation, stop guessing and start measuring. With the right mindset, practices, and training from the best training institute in India, like HelloSM, organizations can achieve real agility, delivering value faster, innovating consistently, and staying ahead in a competitive market.
Frequently Asked Quesitons
How do we know if our company is Agile?
By measuring value, not just activities. Using frameworks like EBM helps organizations track Current Value, Time to Market, Unrealised Value, and Ability to Innovate.
Why is speed not enough in Agile?
Because fast delivery without value is meaningless. Agile is about delivering the right outcomes, not just outputs.
What metrics should we track?
EBM recommends metrics like customer satisfaction, ROI, market share, technical debt, lead time, and employee engagement. These reflect both value and capability.
Who is responsible for measuring agility?
Agility is a shared responsibility. The Product Owner focuses on business value, while the Scrum Master and Developers focus on delivery capability and innovation.
What’s the difference between traditional project success and Agile success?
Traditional success = On-time, on-budget, on-scope.
Agile success = Delivering business value, adaptability, customer satisfaction, and long-term growth.
Where can companies learn more about measuring agility?
Organizations can join Agile workshops or get certified training at the best Scrum training institute in Hyderabad and the best Scrum training institute in India like HelloSM, which offers practical learning on frameworks such as EBM.