No matter the project domain or the technical development method, project success is dependent on knowing what Done looks like in units of measure meaningful to the decision maker.
These measures are:
- Measures of Effectiveness (MOE) – are the operational measures of success that are closely related to the achievements of the mission or operational objectives evaluated in the operational environment, under a specific set of conditions. These measures are stated in units, meaningful to the buyer. They focus on the capabilities independent of any technical implementation.
- Measures of Performance (MOP) – characterize physical or functional attributes relating to the system operation, measured or estimated under specific conditions. These measures are attributes that assure the system has the capability and capacity to perform. They are an assessment of the system to assure it meets the design requirements to satisfy the Measures of Effectiveness.
- Key Performance Parameters (KPP) – Represent the capabilities and characteristics so significant that failure to meet them can be cause for reevaluation, reassessing, or termination of the program. KPPs have a threshold or objective value that characterize the major drivers of performance that are considered Critical to Customer (CTC).
- Technical Performance Measures (TPM) – are attributes that determine how well a system or system element is satisfying or expected to satisfy a technical requirement or goal. The TPM assess design progress, define compliance to performance requirements, identify technical risk, are limited to critical thresholds, and include projected performance goals.
Along with these attributes are …ilities, sometimes are called non-functional requirements.
- Usability
- Maintainability
- Scalability
- Availability
- Extensibility
- Security
- Portability
If these measures are not defined, with a risk adjusted increasing resolution and decreasing error bands (cone of uncertainty), the project has no way of measuring progress to plan, other than the passage of time and consumption of money. Counting stories, story points or any other Ordinal number is equally worthless, since only progress toward MOE, MOP, TPM, and KPP is what the customer bought.
These measures are connected in the following manner
These principles are independent of any development method, Traditional or Agile. These measures must be in place for those paying to recognize Done, progress toward Done, and any impediments encountered along the way to Done.
And of course, since all projects operate in the presence of reducible and irreducible uncertainty, estimating the impact of decisions made along the way to Done must also be part of the process.
