Benefits or Value Add tracking in Agile

[Klaus Schulz]

Every customer asks "What are the benefits?" or "What value do you add?" and wants reports, statistics, or proof.

So, How do you accommodate them?

How can one show that a specific story contributes to a particular benefit or value?

How can one assign or link a specific benefit or value add to a story?

Any feedback is highly appreciated.

Thanks

Klaus

[Rajesh_Singh]

@Klaus Schulz  - 

To track benefits or value-add using Agile stories in ServiceNow, follow these steps:

1. Define clear objectives: Begin by setting clear objectives for the project, which will help you measure the benefits and value-add provided by your ServiceNow implementation. Ensure these objectives align with the goals and priorities of the organization.

2. Create custom fields: In ServiceNow, create custom fields on the Agile story form to capture the specific benefits or value-add that each story is expected to deliver. This could include fields like 'Expected Benefit,' 'Value Add,' or 'Business Impact.'

3. Estimate the benefits: For each Agile story, estimate the expected benefits and value-add based on the project objectives. These estimates can be quantitative (e.g., cost savings, time savings) or qualitative (e.g., improved user satisfaction, better compliance).

4. Prioritize stories based on value: Use the estimated benefits and value-add to prioritize stories in the product backlog. This ensures that the team focuses on delivering the most valuable features first.

5. Track progress and benefits realization: As the team completes Agile stories, track the actual benefits and value-add achieved. This can be done using a custom report or dashboard in ServiceNow that displays the planned vs. actual benefits for each story.

To show that a specific story contributes to a particular benefit or value, follow these steps:

1. Establish a clear link: Define the relationship between the story and the expected benefit or value. This can be done by outlining the specific problem the story addresses and how it aligns with the project's objectives.

2. Estimate the impact: Quantify the potential benefit or value-add of the story, using relevant metrics such as cost savings, time savings, or user satisfaction improvements. Document these estimates in the story's custom fields or description.

3. Implement and measure: As the story is completed, measure the actual impact it has on the relevant metrics. Compare the actual results to the initial estimates to evaluate the story's success in delivering the expected benefit or value.

4. Document and share: Create a concise summary of the story, its objectives, the initial estimates, and the actual impact on the relevant metrics. Share this information with stakeholders and team members to demonstrate the story's contribution to the overall project's success.

[Klaus Schulz]

Rajesh,

Thanks for your feedback, but that is sort of a given to do. And it is my bad that I wasn't clear in my question.

I was looking for SNOW internal tools, tables, etc. to capture that information and incorporate then into reports and dashboards. I know that EPICs have "benefits", but they are not visible on my client instance (Agile 2.0). I couldn't find much in the docs and I am surprised that ServiceNow doesn't offer anything in this regard. Almost every customer is looking for it. 

[Rajesh_Singh]

@Klaus Schulz 

Apologies for the confusion, Klaus. Here's an approach to capturing benefits and value-add information within ServiceNow using internal tools, tables, and reporting features:

1. Custom fields for stories: As mentioned earlier, create custom fields on the Agile story form to capture the specific benefits or value-add that each story is expected to deliver. To do this, navigate to System Definition > Tables & Columns > find the 'rm_story' table > and create new fields such as 'Expected Benefit,' 'Value Add,' or 'Business Impact.'

2. Update forms and views: Add the new custom fields to the appropriate forms and views so that users can input and view the benefit or value-add information related to each story.

3. Custom fields for epics: Since the "benefits" field is not visible on your client's instance, you can create a similar custom field on the epic form ('rm_epic' table) to capture the overall benefits or value-add associated with each epic.

4. Relationship between stories and epics: Ensure that stories are correctly linked to their corresponding epics, allowing you to trace the benefits and value-add from stories up to the epic level.

5. Reports and dashboards: Create custom reports and dashboards in ServiceNow to display the benefits and value-add information at both the story and epic levels. Navigate to Reports > Create New and select the appropriate table ('rm_story' or 'rm_epic'). Configure the report to include the custom fields you created, and apply any necessary filters, grouping, or sorting to present the data effectively. Save the report and add it to a dashboard to provide stakeholders with a visual overview of the benefits and value-add delivered by your Agile projects.

By following this approach, you can leverage ServiceNow's internal tools, tables, and reporting features to capture, track, and report on the benefits and value-add associated with your Agile stories and epics.