Product Delivery Playbook >> Insights

Modern software delivery has moved beyond simply tracking activity and now focuses on generating actionable insights into the flow and predictability of the team's process. Instead of asking "Is everyone busy?", effective teams ask "Are we delivering value predictably and efficiently?". To answer this, they rely on a few key metrics that provide a clear, evidence-based view of their delivery capability. Among the most important of these are burndown charts, which track progress against a goal, and cycle time, which measures the speed of the delivery process.

Tracking Progress with Burndown Charts

A burndown chart is a simple yet powerful visual tool that tracks the completion of work over time. It is most commonly used to track progress within a single sprint. The vertical axis represents the amount of work remaining (typically measured in story points or number of tasks), and the horizontal axis represents time. An "ideal" line shows a steady, linear progression from the total amount of work at the start of the sprint down to zero at the end. The "actual" line shows the team's real progress.

The insights from a burndown chart are immediate. If the actual work line is tracking close to the ideal line, it's a good indicator that the team is on track to meet its sprint goal. If the actual line is flat for several days, it signals a potential blocker or impediment. If it is trending well above the ideal line, it may indicate that the team has overcommitted. This chart is not for judging the team, but rather for providing a daily conversation starter, helping them to inspect their progress and adapt their plan as needed to ensure they can successfully deliver on their commitment.

Measuring Speed with Cycle Time

While a burndown chart is great for tracking progress within a time-box, cycle time is the key metric for understanding the overall health and speed of the delivery process. Cycle time measures the total elapsed time from the moment work begins on an item to the moment it is delivered to the customer. It answers the crucial question: "Once we start something, how long does it take to get it done?".

Tracking cycle time provides invaluable insights into the efficiency of your workflow. A short and consistent cycle time is a sign of a healthy, efficient process with minimal bottlenecks. If cycle time starts to increase, it's a clear signal that there is a problem somewhere in the system—perhaps work is getting stuck in a particular stage, or the team has too much work in progress (WIP). By focusing on reducing and stabilising their cycle time, teams can create a more predictable and responsive delivery system, which ultimately leads to greater customer satisfaction.