Session 2.3 - Goals for Every Team Member

Chapter 3: Launching a Team Project | Duration: 1 hr

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, you will be able to:

  • State the baseline personal goals required of all TSPi team members
  • Explain how personal planning and tracking (TASK/SCHEDULE/WEEK) support those goals
  • Describe quality expectations (reviews, inspections, tests) for individual work
  • Adjust personal goals across cycles based on performance data

4

Core member goals: Cooperate, Plan, Track, Quality

100%

Data must be recorded and entered in project notebook

Weekly

WEEK form completed before every team meeting

Earned Value

Track progress versus personal plan every week

Introduction

All team members need specific and measurable goals. The TSPi defines goals for the team and for each team member. Although they are only suggestions, you will probably not know how to establish goals for yourself, at least not yet. After the first development cycle, you will have the data and experience to establish goals of your own.

"The first goal for every team member is to work cooperatively with the entire team. Above all else, the team's success depends on all team members contributing their personal best efforts, supporting other team members, and working cooperatively to resolve issues and disagreements."

— Chapter 3, Section 3.3

For the first cycle, use the standard TSPi team member and role goals. They are listed in this session and described in more detail in Chapters 11–15. Consistent personal planning, data collection, and quality practices make improvement possible.

Why Personal Goals Matter

Beyond team-level targets, every member needs explicit personal goals. These goals ensure individual accountability, enable team-level tracking, and provide a basis for continuous improvement. Without personal goals and data, teams cannot effectively plan, track progress, or identify areas for improvement.

Baseline Member Goals (Cycle 1)

For the first cycle, use the standard TSPi team member goals. These goals apply to every team member, regardless of role. In changing the goals for later cycles, use specific ground rules outlined in Chapter 3.

Four Team Member Goals
Team Member Goal 1: Be Cooperative Work with entire team Support teammates Resolve disagreements Goal 2: Disciplined Work Track time, size, defects Record data accurately 100% data completeness Goal 3: Plan & Track TASK and SCHEDULE forms WEEK form completed Earned value tracked Goal 4: Quality Products Personal reviews Team inspections Test plans & results

Figure: Four core team member goals that apply to everyone

Goal 1: Be a Cooperative and Effective Team Member

Measures:

  • Measure 1.1: Average PEER evaluation of role for helpfulness and support: >3
  • Measure 1.2: Average PEER evaluation of role for overall contribution: >3
Goal 2: Do Consistently Disciplined Personal Work

Measures:

  • Measure 2.1: Percentage of personal data recorded and in project notebook: 100%
  • Measure 2.2: Percentage of weeks a personal form WEEK was completed: 100%
Goal 3: Plan and Track All Your Personal Work

Measures:

  • Measure 3.1: Percent of personal project data recorded in SUMP and SUMQ forms: 100%
  • Measure 3.2: Percent of project tasks with completed plan and actual data on TASK form: 100%
Goal 4: Produce Quality Products

Measures:

  • Measure 4.1: Average percent of defects found before first compile: >70%
  • Measure 4.2: Defect density found during compile: <10/KLOC
  • Measure 4.3: Defect density found during unit test: <5/KLOC
  • Measure 4.4: Defect density found after unit test: 0
Ground Rules for Adjusting Goals

In changing the goals for cycles 2 and 3, use the following ground rules:

  • If you did not meet the prior-cycle goals and if they still appear reasonable, use them again
  • If the goals now look unrealistic, set some new and somewhat less challenging goals, but make sure they call for significant improvement over your prior performance
  • If you met the prior-cycle goals, set aggressive improvement goals for the next cycle

Planning & Tracking Your Work

To meet your personal goals, you must establish personal plans for all your work and must track progress against these plans. This requires that you complete a personal TASK and SCHEDULE form for each development cycle and track your earned value progress against the plan every week.

Personal Planning and Tracking Process
1. Create Plans • TASK form • SCHEDULE form • Time & size estimates 2. Track Data • Time logs • Size actuals • Defect data 3. Report Weekly • WEEK form • Variances • Earned value Team Meeting Share with planning mgr TSPi Forms to Complete TASK Form: Breakdown of personal tasks with estimates SCHEDULE Form: Timeline showing when tasks are planned WEEK Form: Weekly status showing progress vs plan Earned Value Tracking Planned Value (PV): What you planned to complete Earned Value (EV): What you actually completed Progress Metric: EV / PV shows if you're on track Critical Principles ✓ Log data as you work (not later) ✓ Update WEEK before weekly meeting ✓ Share variances and risks with team

Figure: The personal planning and tracking workflow using TSPi forms

What to Track
  • Time: Hours spent on each task and phase
  • Size: LOC or other size metrics (planned vs actual)
  • Defects: Found and fixed in each phase
  • Progress: Tasks completed vs planned (earned value)
Critical Success Factors
  • Record immediately: Log data as you work, not later
  • Be complete: 100% of data in project notebook
  • Report weekly: WEEK form completed before every meeting
  • Track earned value: Show progress versus plan
Why This Matters

Against these goals, you should track the time, size, and defect data for your personal work and ensure that these data are properly recorded on the TSPi forms. Using form WEEK, you must also report your progress against this plan in the weekly meeting. This visibility enables the team to replan when needed, helps identify risks early, and provides the data foundation for continuous improvement.

Quality Expectations

To meet Goal 4 (produce quality products), you must personally review each of your products and call for team inspections when required by the TSPi process. Also, you must record the results of every team inspection on the INS form, produce comprehensive test plans, and report test results on the LOGTEST form.

"Individual quality drives team quality. Personal reviews and team inspections catch defects before test, reducing schedule risk and ensuring that high-quality products are delivered."

Defect Removal Process
Design/Code 100 defects injected Personal Review Remove 70 (70% yield) 30 remain Team Inspection Remove 24 (80% of remaining) 6 remain Test Find 6 0 escape! Quality Goal Measures Measure 4.1: % defects found before first compile: >70% Measure 4.2: Defect density during compile: <10/KLOC Measure 4.3: Defect density during unit test: <5/KLOC Required Quality Practices 1. Personal Reviews: • Use checklists for each product type • Log defects found and fixed 2. Team Inspections: • Call inspections per TSPi requirements • Record results on INS form 3. Comprehensive Testing: • Test plans documented on LOGTEST

Figure: How personal reviews and team inspections reduce defects before testing

Personal Reviews (Mandatory)
  • Review each product you create before showing to others
  • Use checklists tailored to product type (design, code, test plan)
  • Log all defects found and fixed
  • Measure review yield (defects found / total defects)
  • Target: >70% of defects found before compile
Team Inspections (Mandatory)
  • Call inspections as required by TSPi process (not optional)
  • Moderated sessions with defined roles
  • Record results on INS form (inspection form)
  • Feed defect data into test planning
  • Target: 80% of remaining defects found
Critical Point

Personal reviews and inspections are mandatory—not optional—to control quality. The goal is to find and fix defects as early as possible. Finding defects in design costs minutes; finding them in system test costs hours; finding them after release costs days or weeks. Personal reviews and team inspections are the most cost-effective quality practices available.

Improving Across Cycles

After each cycle, examine your performance and set goals for improving in the next cycle. After cycle 1, you will have data for setting new goals for cycles 2 and 3. As you strive to improve performance for these later cycles, however, you will have to work differently than before.

Goal Adjustment Strategy
Missed Goals ✗ Example: Goal: 70% defects found Actual: 55% found Decision: If goal still reasonable: • Keep same goal • CHANGE your process (add review checklist, spend more time, etc.) Goals Unrealistic ~ Example: Goal: <5 defects/KLOC Actual: 25 defects/KLOC Decision: Set less challenging goal, BUT still improve: • New goal: <15/KLOC • Still requires 40% improvement! Met Goals ✓ Example: Goal: 100% data entered Actual: 100% achieved Decision: Set more aggressive improvement goals: • Maintain 100% data • Add new goal: reduce time to record data

Figure: Strategy for adjusting personal goals based on Cycle 1 performance

Process Changes Required

Merely setting improvement goals and then working in the same way will not produce consistently better results. Thus, with each goal, consider what you will have to do differently to achieve it. Then figure out how to change your process so that you are likely to meet your new objectives. Then make the needed changes in your process scripts, personal practices, or team standards.

Adjustment Decision Rules
  • Missed reasonable goals: Keep them, adjust your process
  • Goals unrealistic: Lower slightly but still demand improvement
  • Met goals: Set aggressive improvement targets
  • Always: Link new goals to process changes
Example Process Changes
  • Add review checklists for each product type
  • Allocate more time for personal reviews
  • Log data immediately instead of at end of day
  • Use automated tools to track time/defects

Summary

Key Takeaways
  • All team members need specific, measurable personal goals
  • Four core goals: Cooperate, Disciplined Work, Plan & Track, Quality
  • Personal planning and data make team-level planning possible
  • Quality practices (reviews, inspections) are mandatory, not optional
What You Should Know
  • The four team member goals and their measures
  • How to use TASK, SCHEDULE, and WEEK forms
  • Why personal reviews and inspections matter
  • How to adjust goals for cycles 2-3 based on data
Team Member Responsibilities Summary
Goal 1: Cooperate Work cooperatively with entire team Measures: • PEER helpfulness >3 • PEER contribution >3 Goal 2: Disciplined Do consistently disciplined work Measures: • Data recorded 100% • WEEK completed 100% Goal 3: Plan/Track Plan and track all personal work Measures: • SUMP/SUMQ data 100% • TASK data 100% Goal 4: Quality Produce quality products Measures: • Defects before compile: >70% • Compile: <10/K • Unit test: <5/K • Post-test: 0

Figure: Summary of four team member goals with key measures

"The first goal for every team member is to work cooperatively with the entire team. Above all else, the team's success depends on all team members contributing their personal best efforts, supporting other team members, and working cooperatively to resolve issues and disagreements."

— Chapter 3, Section 3.3

Next Steps

After learning about team member goals:

  1. Use standard member goals for Cycle 1 (you don't have data yet)
  2. Set up your personal TASK and SCHEDULE forms for the cycle
  3. Log time, size, and defect data as you work (not later)
  4. Complete WEEK form before every weekly meeting
  5. After Cycle 1, analyze your data and adjust goals for Cycles 2-3
  6. Remember: New goals require process changes, not just more effort
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