Scrum and Agile teams are often encouraged to measure their work.
Velocity, throughput, cycle time, burndown charts and delivery forecasts can all offer useful signals.
They can show patterns, reveal bottlenecks and help teams ask better questions.
But most Agile work happens in complex environments, where outcomes emerge, context shifts and people respond to the system around them.
In that kind of setting, metrics do not simply describe reality. They also shape behaviour.
That is where trouble starts.
Continue reading Why metrics distort reality in complex systems