Standard : Business value is defined, measured, and shared for all work

Purpose and Strategic Importance

This standard ensures every piece of work has clearly defined, measured, and shared business value – aligning delivery with tangible outcomes. It creates transparency on why the work matters and how success is tracked.

Aligned to our "Measure & Validate Value" policy, this standard enables informed prioritisation, continuous feedback, and evidence-based improvement. Without it, teams risk building the wrong things and missing opportunities to maximise impact.

Strategic Impact

  • Clear rationale for prioritising work based on outcomes
  • Increased ability to track and optimise value delivery
  • Enhanced trust between engineering and business stakeholders
  • Higher engagement from teams with visible impact
  • Reduced waste and misalignment

Risks of Not Having This Standard

  • Work is prioritised without clarity on outcomes
  • Teams invest effort into low- or no-value features
  • Strategic goals are missed or delayed
  • Delivery success is measured by outputs, not outcomes
  • Inconsistent understanding of success criteria across teams

CMMI Maturity Model

Level 1 – Initial

Category Description
People & Culture Teams assume value without discussion or clarity.
No alignment between engineering and business intent.
Process & Governance Work is initiated without defined success criteria.
Outcomes are not evaluated after delivery.
Technology & Tools No tooling supports value tracking.
Systems capture activity but not impact.
Measurement & Metrics Value is not measured.
Work is evaluated on delivery alone.

Level 2 – Managed

Category Description
People & Culture Teams begin to reflect on value after delivery.
Discussions are informal and not standardised.
Process & Governance Some work includes value statements, often added retroactively.
Not consistently applied.
Technology & Tools Teams use spreadsheets or ticket fields for ad hoc tracking.
No unified approach.
Measurement & Metrics Value measurement exists for major initiatives.
Day-to-day work remains unmeasured.

Level 3 – Defined

Category Description
People & Culture Teams articulate value up front and reference it during delivery.
Value alignment is embedded in planning.
Process & Governance Defining and sharing value is a required practice.
Value hypotheses are tracked through delivery.
Technology & Tools Tooling includes value fields and tracking options.
Data is visible in planning and retrospectives.
Measurement & Metrics Value metrics are defined per initiative.
Teams evaluate if expected outcomes were achieved.

Level 4 – Quantitatively Managed

Category Description
People & Culture Teams regularly assess delivery effectiveness.
Value results are celebrated and scrutinised.
Process & Governance Value outcomes are reviewed in governance forums.
Work is adapted based on impact evidence.
Technology & Tools Dashboards show value delivery across products.
Tools link work items to defined KPIs or OKRs.
Measurement & Metrics Value outcomes are benchmarked.
Trends inform strategic direction and team planning.

Level 5 – Optimising

Category Description
People & Culture Value delivery drives motivation and learning.
Teams iterate quickly to improve outcomes.
Process & Governance Value feedback loops shape prioritisation, design, and delivery.
Work is frequently re-scoped to maximise benefit.
Technology & Tools Systems enable real-time feedback on value impact.
A/B testing, usage telemetry, and outcome analysis are common.
Measurement & Metrics Continuous measurement of value supports optimisation.
Data closes the loop from vision to user impact.

Key Measures

  • Percentage of work items with defined value outcomes
  • Percentage of initiatives with value validated post-release
  • Value realised vs forecast (e.g. ROI, OKRs, adoption)
  • Frequency of value-based reprioritisation
  • Visibility of value delivery across teams and leadership