One of the issues with running an agile project is gaining credibility with senior management. Much of can be achieved by using a good communication plan. Even so, it never hurts to use common terminology.
Earned Value Management, or EVM, is a quantitative method of tracking variances in a project’s progress. Although EVM is becoming more widely used, it has a gamut of measures to track – over thirty in total in some instances. Over a year or so ago, I took part in a workshop that demonstrated an agile version of EVM and I have just come across a paper that summarises the content nicely; this approach uses a total of just nine measures – and it is not mandatory to use them all. It certainly seems a good way to gain additional credibility from senior management in agile projects.