Good delivery isn’t just about getting things done. It’s about creating an organisation-wide focus on providing real customer value, responding to change, and enabling your people to do their best work. It’s a practice – something to develop and maintain – which is why I find it useful to think of in terms of health.
This is my model for evaluating and improving delivery health.
This model provides a holistic view via three core inter-connected markers:
- Teams aligned to the strategy
- Continuously improving delivery
- Informed decision-making
Understanding how well your organisation functions in these terms enables a more considered diagnosis and a more effective plan. And as a Delivery leader, if your scope of responsibility doesn’t allow consideration of all three markers, your impact and value to the organisation will have limitations.
Influencing health markers
Delivery health markers are outcomes, and cannot be influenced directly. Attention should instead focus on the three levels of influence:
- Exec (or Leadership) level
- Portfolio level
- Team level
An effective diagnosis will be based on the extent to which core responsibilities are being met at each level of influence. An effective approach is to look for the presence of certain anti-patterns – behaviours or practices that limit delivery capability. Anti-patterns can often give Delivery leaders insight into where the greatest opportunities lie, and how to prioritise them.
This is a high-level view of the Delivery Health Model. It is a view of delivery capability that enables Delivery Leaders or leaders in Product and Technology to make a more full diagnosis, resulting in a more effective improvement plan.
To learn more about the model please download the introductory guide. You can also request a free 45-minute delivery health audit.
I also recommend reading about Portfolio Kanban as a key starting point.
