Here’s a tool for teams doing commitment – based planning.

On this chart there is  confidence slider per day of the iteration. Team members individually mark their confidence that the team’s commitment will be reached on the chart after standup, with a line.  On the left of the scale is “Very scared that we will not achieve everything we have committed to this iteration”. On the other: “Very confident that we will deliver everything that we have committed to by the end of this iteration.”

This one makes an excellent conversation starter. “Why do you feel that we will / wont make the goal?” The answers may well reveal risks which may have remained hidden.   Different teams will display different patterns. For some, they become more confident as the iteration progresses. For others, you will see the cloud of marks moving back to the left.

Below you can see the clusters of lines, and you can see outliers: skeptics, or optimists. Graeme, the Iteration Manager, says: “For stakeholders, or other interested people, they can see how the team feels about a commitment.” That’s hard to argue with. “I like it better than a burndown chart.”

It certainly looks like a better form of reporting than the standard RAG Sheet.

Look below: this iteration, the team have divided on the fourth day in, with at least three team members strongly convinced the goal is out of reach. What happened on Wednesday? A great conversation starter.

Spotted: Telstra  Contact Solutions CCRI team, Graeme Robb.