DDD Perth 2023 Agenda

Metrics… We all talk about it, we all want to use it but do we really understand the impacts of the act of observation? The Observer Effect was first studied by Schrodinger in the classic "Schrodinger's Cat" experiment. If you're unfamiliar with Schrodinger's Cat, it's as follows. In this classic thought experiment, a live cat is placed in a box with a poison that can be released at an unpredictable time. Later in the random future, you (the Observer) decide to open the box. You find the cat is dead; but the question is, was the cat dead the instance before you opened the box? Physics says it's impossible to say because of the unpredictable poison and the random time to open the box; therefore your decision to open the box had a quantifiable impact on the cat's death. Is there a correlation between the Schodinger's paradox and metrics? …. I believe there is. In this talk I'll share some of my experiences working with delivery teams and seeing how they modify their behaviour in response to their awareness of being observed. I'll also share which agile metrics are best to use, based on the outcome you're looking for. **disclaimer: I am an animal lover and no actual cats were ever used during this experiment :)