When Do We Hold an Individual Accountable?

Again, let’s begin with the answer to the question in this lesson’s title: when the individual’s contribution is clearly defined and the expectations are clearly set.

It’s often easy to identify when a team member didn’t get the story done in time, which in turn created a cascading series of missed deadlines leading to the project missing its overall deadline. Remember, however, that software development is still a team sport—even if it’s clear who missed the tackle, the whole team is the one that takes the loss when the game is over. Holding the individual accountable is important, to be sure, but it cannot end there. If that person couldn’t get the story done in time, ask “why?” Was the story too difficult? Was there additional complexity that wasn’t called out during planning and estimation? Were there extenuating circumstances that meant the amount of time available to finish the story was significantly reduced?