Stretch objectives describe any task an agile team plans to complete without expressly committing to do so. Teams incorporate stretch objectives during a Sprint or Program Increment (PI) as part of Scaled Agile. They are used when the agile team is unsure of its capacity to attain an objective. Therefore, stretch objectives are instead outcomes that, while extremely desirable, are not the difference between the success or failure of each sprint.
Aspect
Explanation
Definition
Stretch Objectives, also known as stretch goals, are ambitious and challenging targets or goals set by individuals, teams, or organizations that go beyond what is typically expected or achievable. These objectives are designed to push boundaries, stimulate innovation, and inspire higher levels of performance. Stretch Objectives are often used to encourage individuals or groups to reach beyond their comfort zones and achieve exceptional results. They are particularly common in business, project management, and personal development contexts.
Key Elements
– Ambitious Goals: Stretch Objectives are characterized by their ambitious and challenging nature, often requiring significant effort to attain. – Innovation: They encourage innovative thinking and creative problem-solving to find new approaches to achieving the goal. – Motivation: Stretch Objectives serve as powerful motivators, inspiring individuals or teams to work harder and smarter. – Risk: Pursuing stretch goals may involve a higher degree of risk and uncertainty. – Alignment: They should align with broader organizational or personal goals and strategies.
Characteristics
– Challenge: Stretch Objectives present a substantial challenge, requiring individuals or teams to push beyond their comfort zones. – Inspiration: They serve as a source of inspiration, fostering a sense of purpose and determination. – Innovation: Pursuing stretch goals often leads to innovative thinking and the discovery of new solutions. – Learning: Even if not fully achieved, striving for stretch objectives can lead to valuable learning experiences. – Focus: They encourage focused effort and dedication to overcome obstacles.
Implications
– Performance Improvement: Pursuing stretch objectives can lead to significant performance improvements as individuals and teams strive to reach higher levels of achievement. – Innovation: The pursuit of challenging goals often results in innovative solutions and approaches. – Enhanced Motivation: Stretch objectives inspire greater motivation and commitment to achieve outstanding results. – Risk Mitigation: They encourage individuals and teams to embrace calculated risks and become more adaptable in dealing with uncertainty. – Long-term Growth: Successfully achieving stretch goals can lead to long-term growth and increased capabilities.
Advantages
– Innovation: Stretch objectives stimulate creative thinking and innovation as individuals seek novel ways to overcome challenges. – Motivation: They serve as powerful motivators, boosting enthusiasm and commitment. – Enhanced Performance: Pursuing ambitious goals can lead to higher levels of performance and achievement. – Adaptability: Stretch objectives encourage adaptability by pushing individuals and teams to navigate unexpected obstacles. – Continuous Improvement: Even if not fully achieved, striving for stretch objectives fosters a culture of continuous improvement.
Drawbacks
– Risk of Failure: Pursuing stretch objectives carries a higher risk of failure, which can be demotivating if not managed properly. – Burnout: Overly ambitious goals can lead to burnout if individuals or teams are pushed too hard. – Resource Allocation: The pursuit of stretch objectives may divert resources from other important activities. – Unrealistic Expectations: Setting stretch goals that are too unrealistic can lead to frustration and disillusionment. – Lack of Balance: Overemphasis on stretch objectives can neglect the importance of work-life balance and well-being.
Applications
– Business Strategy: Organizations use stretch objectives to drive innovation, competitiveness, and performance in various aspects of their operations. – Project Management: Project managers set stretch objectives to challenge teams and deliver exceptional results within projects. – Personal Development: Individuals use stretch goals in personal development, such as career growth, skill acquisition, or fitness achievements. – Education: Educators employ stretch objectives to challenge students and encourage academic excellence. – Research and Development: Research teams use stretch objectives to push the boundaries of scientific knowledge and innovation.
Use Cases
– Sales Targets: Sales teams set stretch objectives for revenue or sales targets to encourage exceptional performance. – Product Development: Product development teams aim for stretch objectives to innovate and create groundbreaking products. – Athletic Achievements: Athletes set stretch goals for record-breaking performances in sports and competitions. – Entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurs often pursue stretch objectives to disrupt industries and achieve significant market impact. – Academic Excellence: Students strive for stretch objectives to excel in academic achievements and reach academic excellence.
Teams incorporate stretch objectives during a Sprint or Program Increment (PI) as part of Scaled Agile.
They are used when the agile team is unsure of its capacity to attain an objective. This capacity may be hindered for several reasons:
Objectives with new technology requiring time-boxed exploration
Since meeting objectives is reliant on successful exploration, there is no point in making a firm commitment.
An inability to make accurate estimations
Again, this is a time-boxed activity that places restrictions on meeting objectives.
A history of overcommitment leading to experimentation around more acceptable levels during PI planning.
An organizational culture which neither supports nor protects failures
This causes teams to avoid overextending themselves.
An organization with a very narrow target band for Program Predictability Measure.
This also leads to a similar situation where teams only commit to what they are confident of achieving.
When effort is estimated for each Sprint, it is important to note that stretch objectives are excluded from estimations.
In other words, they are not an excuse for stakeholders to overload a team with more work than it could conceivably complete.
Stretch objectives are instead outcomes that, while extremely desirable, are not the difference between the success or failure of each sprint.
For best results, the total allowance for stretch objectives should be somewhere between 10 and 15% of the total capacity.
Benefits of stretch objectives
Though they may not be immediately obvious, stretch objectives do have some important benefits for agile teams.
These include:
Predictability
Stretch objectives improve the predictability of business value delivery because they are not included in team commitments.
Nor are they counted against teams in terms of Program Predictability Measure.
Improved economics
Without stretch objectives, an agile team must commit to a 100% scope in a fixed timebox. Inevitably, this situation forces teams to compromise on quality or create system buffers.
These can then accumulate, reducing throughput by converting uncertain earliness into certain lateness.
Reliability
By their very nature, stretch objectives represent variable scope giving teams greater confidence in their ability to deliver main priorities.
In turn, this increases trust between the team and stakeholders as committed objectives are continually met.
Flexibility
Lastly, stretch objectives provide the capacity margin needed to meet commitments and reliable delivery on a cadence.
However, they are also flexible enough to allow a shift in priorities as fact patterns change.
Case Studies
Software Development Sprint Planning:
Industry: Technology and Software Development
Description: Agile development teams incorporate stretch objectives during sprint planning to manage uncertainties and challenges.
Case Study: Suppose a software development team is planning a sprint to implement new features in a web application. However, there may be uncertainties related to the complexity of certain features or dependencies on external libraries or services. To address these uncertainties, the team includes stretch objectives for exploring alternative solutions, conducting additional testing, or addressing unexpected technical issues. By setting stretch objectives, the team acknowledges potential challenges while maintaining focus on delivering the main priorities within the sprint.
Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) Program Increment (PI) Planning:
Industry: Agile Transformation and Project Management
Description: Organizations adopting the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) use stretch objectives during Program Increment (PI) planning to manage risks and optimize resource allocation.
Case Study: During PI planning, agile teams in a large organization set objectives for delivering value over a fixed time frame, typically 8-12 weeks. However, uncertainties such as changing market conditions, technical complexities, or resource constraints may affect the team’s ability to achieve all planned objectives. To address these uncertainties, teams allocate a portion of their capacity to stretch objectives, which represent ambitious goals that are not essential for the success of the PI but are desirable to pursue if resources allow. By incorporating stretch objectives, teams maintain flexibility and adaptability while striving to maximize value delivery within the PI.
Agile Product Development Roadmapping:
Industry: Product Management and Innovation
Description: Product development teams use stretch objectives in agile roadmapping to drive innovation and manage product evolution.
Case Study: A product development team is planning the roadmap for a new software product. While the core features and functionalities are defined based on customer requirements and market analysis, there may be opportunities for additional enhancements or experimental features that could differentiate the product in the market. To explore these opportunities, the team includes stretch objectives in the roadmap, representing innovative ideas or experimental features that may require further research, prototyping, or user validation. By incorporating stretch objectives, the team maintains flexibility in adapting the product roadmap based on feedback and market dynamics while pursuing ambitious goals to drive innovation and competitive advantage.
Agile Team Capacity Management:
Industry: Project Management and Resource Planning
Description: Agile teams use stretch objectives to manage capacity and optimize resource allocation based on changing priorities and constraints.
Case Study: A cross-functional agile team is responsible for delivering multiple projects and initiatives within a given time frame. However, resource constraints, unexpected issues, or competing priorities may impact the team’s capacity to complete all planned work. To address these challenges, the team incorporates stretch objectives into their backlog, representing additional tasks or goals that can be pursued if capacity allows. By setting stretch objectives, the team maintains a balance between committed work and additional opportunities, ensuring that they can adapt to changing circumstances while maximizing productivity and value delivery.
Agile Team Performance Improvement:
Industry: Organizational Development and Continuous Improvement
Description: Agile teams use stretch objectives to challenge themselves and drive continuous improvement in performance and capabilities.
Case Study: An agile development team has been consistently meeting their sprint commitments but aims to enhance their productivity and efficiency further. To push their boundaries and foster a culture of continuous improvement, the team sets stretch objectives for each sprint, representing ambitious goals or targets that exceed their usual level of performance. These stretch objectives may involve implementing new tools or practices, reducing cycle times, or increasing collaboration within the team. By pursuing stretch objectives, the team fosters a mindset of excellence and innovation, driving positive changes in performance and achieving higher levels of success.
Key takeaways
Stretch objectives are used in agile software development. They describe any task an agile team strives to complete but ultimately cannot commit to.
Stretch objectives help teams who are unsure of their capacity remove uncertainty. This uncertainty is caused by new technology implementation, a history of team overcommitment, or a poor organizational culture that neither supports nor protects failure.
Stretch objectives deliver many benefits to agile teams. They improve the predictability of business value delivery and in so doing, improve project economics. More confident teams tend also to be more reliable and flexible in meeting committed objectives.
Key Highlights
Introduction to Stretch Objectives: Stretch objectives are tasks that agile teams aim to complete during a Sprint or Program Increment (PI) in Scaled Agile. They are used when the team is uncertain about its capacity to achieve an objective.
Reasons for Incorporating Stretch Objectives:
New Technology Exploration: Objectives involving new technology require time-boxed exploration, making firm commitment impractical.
History of Overcommitment: Past overcommitment prompts teams to experiment with more feasible levels during planning.
Organizational Culture: A culture discouraging failures leads to cautious commitments.
Narrow Predictability Measure: Organizations with a limited target band for Program Predictability Measure restrict team commitments.
Exclusion from Effort Estimations:
Stretch objectives are not included in effort estimations for each Sprint.
They are not intended to overload teams with excessive work.
Benefits of Stretch Objectives:
Predictability: Stretch objectives improve predictability by not being part of team commitments or Program Predictability Measure.
Improved Economics: They prevent compromising quality or creating buffers to meet 100% scope in a fixed timebox.
Reliability: Stretch objectives, as variable scope, enhance team confidence in delivering main priorities, increasing trust with stakeholders.
Flexibility: Stretch objectives provide capacity margin for reliable delivery while allowing priority shifts as circumstances change.
Key Takeaways:
Stretch objectives are tasks that agile teams strive to complete but can’t fully commit to.
They address uncertainties caused by factors like new technology, inaccurate estimations, overcommitment history, poor organizational culture, and narrow predictability measures.
Stretch objectives offer benefits such as improved predictability, economics, reliability, and flexibility in meeting commitments.
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Gennaro is the creator of FourWeekMBA, which reached about four million business people, comprising C-level executives, investors, analysts, product managers, and aspiring digital entrepreneurs in 2022 alone | He is also Director of Sales for a high-tech scaleup in the AI Industry | In 2012, Gennaro earned an International MBA with emphasis on Corporate Finance and Business Strategy.
