You Can’t Set Effective Goals for Software Developers Without Data

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The cornerstone of every framework is specificity, but most engineering departments run on benchmarks and estimations that are vague, subjective, or constantly in flux. Common project measurements, like t-shirt sizes and story points, can be replaced with objective metrics that are comparable across projects and teams. The MIT Sloan Management Review’s research-backed FAST framework is: FAST goals are: Frequent Discussed, Transparent — Goals — and progress towards them — should be shared publicly. Ambitious — Goals should not be simple to achieve, though they shouldn’t be simple. Specific — Metrics and milestones should be used to define success and measure progress.