Agile Basketball / Agile NBA

All artifacts and events of the Agile Basketball process must be visible to the players and coaching staff, who are responsible for delivering the outcome on the court. Transparency requires that the definition and value of metrics be clear, as well as a definition of their successful execution. All artifacts and events of the Agile Basketball process must be visible to the players and coaching staff, who are responsible for delivering the outcome on the court. Transparency requires that the definition and value of metrics be clear, as well as a definition of their successful execution. For example: A common language of what constitutes value must be shared by all participants; and, All stakeholders must understand the definition of success. http://www.agilebasketball.org

Self-organization is a fundamental concept in Agile Basketball. Self-organization does not mean that players instead of managers control the team strategy and execution. Nor does it mean letting players do whatever they want to do. It means that management commits to guiding the evolution towards synergy, which emerges from the interaction of players, committed to team goals and learning through inspection, adaptation, self-organization and empiricism. The analyst clarifies to player what the team objectives are for each five game Sprint, and players (along with the analyst and assistant coach guidance) determine how they will add value. But they are nonetheless self-organizing, with influence from those who can assist them in achieving the team goal (such as analyst creating ways of measuring value and the team lead adopting new offensive/defensive strategies). The player’s job is to self-organize around team challenges, boundaries, and constraints identified by the analyst or player ...

The team must frequently inspect their performance analytics and progress toward their Sprint Goals and overall goal to detect performance variances. Inspections should be frequent and performed by the analyst. Inspections are most beneficial when performed regularly and decisions are based on a combination of analytics and expert judgment. The body of work for inspection should be at least one Sprint (or 5 game stretch). http://www.agilebasketball.org

Synergy is the state that every team should strive to reach and maintain. Synergy is the collective ability for all team members to be able to interpret in real time the opponents’ game plan and know exactly how each team member will react, based on the team philosophy and game situation. Synergy occurs when a team learns which strategies are most effective for their unique makeup and how to work as a single unit to achieve the team goals. Agile Basketball helps teams identify these strategies and achieve synergy faste http://www.agilebasketball.org

If the analyst identifies one or more areas of their goals deviate outside acceptable limits (defined at the beginning of the process), and the resulting performance is unacceptable, the strategy must be adjusted. An adjustment must be made immediately to minimize goal deviation. Agile Basketball consists of four key events which drive inspection, adaptation, self-organization and synergy. These events are described in Agile Basketball Events section of this document: ⦁ Sprint Planning Session ⦁ Post-Game Meeting ⦁ Sprint Review Session ⦁ Sprint Retrospective http://www.agilebasketball.org

The core of Agile Basketball’s adaptation and decision making process is data and analytics. The program must fully commit to discovering new ways of interpreting data and creating value. Value refers to measurable results as they contribute to and/or impact the overall goals of the team. Value is discovered through empiricism and evolutionary analytics performed and inspected incrementally. http://agilebasketball.org

At the end of each Sprint, the team looks at the performance goals reached and adds up the number of value points associated with those achieved metrics. The total number of value points gained is the team’s velocity, or production on the court, for that Sprint. After the first few Sprints, the analyst will start to see a trend and will be able to calculate the average velocity. The value point system will allow players to track their progress with a single number, and it encourages them to aim for more key metrics in an effort to accumulate value points in the Sprint and gain velocity. Players see their value based on points accumulated by hitting performance targets rather than scoring points. The average velocity is the total number of value points gained, divided by the total number of Sprints completed. http://agilebasketball.org/monitoring-progress/

Monitoring team progress is one of the cornerstones of the inspection, adaption, self-organization and synergy pillars. This section outlines the Agile Basketball process for monitoring team progress. At any point in the season, the team’s actual performance can be compared to their projected performance to determine how the team is progressing towards their goal. The analyst tracks this progress at least every Sprint Review Meeting. The Lead using burndown charts. The outstanding key metrics to achieve (or backlog) is often on the vertical axis, with time along the horizontal The analyst compares Player Planned Value and Team Planned Value to the actual value they delivered in order to assess progress toward achieving their goal. This information is transparent to the team. Trending methods and tools can be used to forecast progress. But the best results are yielded from strategies based on known outcomes, and understanding what is necessary for the team to win games. http://agilebask...

Scouting reports are a keystone of the team’s game strategy and player acquisition strategy. In Agile Basketball, the assistant coaches are responsible for evaluating opponent performance and providing pre-game scouting reports for the games within the Sprint. Pre-game scouting reports help the coach plan the team strategy for the upcoming Sprint. In addition to the pre-game scouting reports, there are also player scouting reports which are provided by the scout team. Scouts are responsible for evaluating elite players across the league on their strengths, weaknesses and ability to add value to the team, based on data and observation. At the end of each Sprint the coaching staff deliver Sprint Scouting Reports that identify players that fit the team’s identity, their priority rankings, the areas where they can add value to the team and its mission, and which of these player’s are available to join the team. The Scouting Reports are presented briefly during the Sprint Review Meet http:/...

The Five Game Increment is the value of all the Sprint Performance Dashboard metrics successfully delivered during the current Sprint, and the sum value of the previous Sprints. The number of wins is the main goal for measuring success of the Sprint and value points reflects team growth, or its ability to achieve greater success in the key areas that impact goal attainment. See Estimating Player “Value” toward Team Goals and Tracking Velocity for more explanation on how to measure value. The concept is through incremental inspection and adaption, empiricism is increased and metric value becomes a key indicator for predicting team success. http://agilebasketball.org/agile-basketball-artifacts/

In Agile Basketball, burndown charts are used for tracking progress toward achieving the key performance metrics identified by the analyst in the Performance Metrics Log. Burn down charts are graphical representations of team performance metrics left to achieve versus the schedule. The outstanding key metrics to achieve (or backlog) is often on the vertical axis, with time along the horizontal axis. The definition for successfully achieving a key metric must be understood by all stakeholders. Remember, the metrics in the Performance Metrics Log are key metrics that the analyst identified as critical for achieving synergy and reaching team goals. Burndown charts allow the team to predict when they will be playing at the level outlined in Performance Metrics Log. Burndown Charts are part of the inspect and adapt functionality. http://agilebasketball.org/agile-basketball-artifacts/

Agile Basketball provides a simple way for players to plan and achieve sprint goals and overall team goals through Player Value Cards. Player Value Cards are each player’s list of the metrics (along with their value) the analyst deems as important toward achieving the Sprint Goal. Think of Player Value Cards as a menu for players, where they have a budget and must select a number of items, or metrics whose value total or exceed the budget, or Planned Value. Each game the player can review and adjust their Player Value Card, which is provided by the analyst. Player Value Cards represent each player’s individual plan for helping the team achieve its Sprint Goals. Player Value Cards play into inspect, adapt, and self-organize functionality. http://www.agilenba.com/

Agile Basketball provides a simple way for players to plan and achieve sprint goals and overall team goals through Player Value Cards. Player Value Cards are each player’s list of the metrics (along with their value) the analyst deems as important toward achieving the Sprint Goal. Think of Player Value Cards as a menu for players, where they have a budget and must select a number of items, or metrics whose value total or exceed the budget, or Planned Value. Each game the player can review and adjust their Player Value Card, which is provided by the analyst. Player Value Cards represent each player’s individual plan for helping the team achieve its Sprint Goals. Player Value Cards play into inspect, adapt, and self-organize functionality. http://agilebasketball.org/agile-basketball-artifacts/

The Sprint Performance Plan is the set of Sprint Performance Dashboard metrics selected for the Sprint, plus the plan for realizing their Sprint Goal. The Sprint Performance Plan is a forecast by the players about what metrics will be achieved and the strategy to achieve those goals and deliver a successful Sprint. The Sprint Performance Plan adds transparency to the team and player game plans and the performance results necessary reach Sprint Goals. The Sprint Performance Plan provided enough detail to clarify what each player and what the team as a whole is expected to deliver. Progress towards the Sprint Performance Plan is discussed during the Post-Game Meetings. Players can modify their Player Value Cards before the Sprint, and the team crafts its strategy, and the Sprint Performance Plan is created. This plan becomes more precise each Sprint as the team learns more about how metrics impact their ability to achieve Sprint Goals. As the five game Sprint is completed, th http://agil...

The Sprint Performance Dashboard is an ordered list of all of the metrics in the Performance Metrics Log identified by the analyst to be included in the upcoming Sprint. The analyst is the owner of the Sprint Performance Dashboard and translates team goals and objectives into key performance metrics. The analyst assigns a value to each performance metric (see Estimating Player “Value” toward Team Goals and Tracking Velocity). The analyst also provides a Recommended Team Value for the team to strive for as their Sprint Goal. The Sprint Performance Dashboard is a continuous work in progress. The first iterations of it only lays out the initial baseline of metrics. The Sprint Performance Dashboard evolves as the players and team performance evolves and as new metrics are identified. http://agilebasketball.org/agile-basketball-artifacts/

The Performance Metrics Log is a prioritized list of team and player metrics created by the analyst, which reflects input from past data and performance. Inputs include team goals and objectives, past Sprint performance data and any new metrics identified during the Sprint Review and Sprint Retrospective. The Performance Metric Log is the key input to the Sprint Performance Dashboard. As the team gets a better understanding of how metrics impact the game and add value towards reaching player and team goals, the analyst is able to assign more accurate metric values and Recommended Team Values for upcoming Sprints. http://agilebasketball.org/agile-basketball-artifacts/

Agile Basketball artifacts are the products and tools that provide transparency of data and opportunities for inspection, adaptation, self-organization and synergy. The artifacts that drive the Agile Basketball framework are designed to maintain data transparency, so that everyone in the program has a common understanding of what the data means. This ensures that management decisions and player value is optimized. http://agilebasketball.org/agile-basketball-artifacts/

Game management is key for any team’s success. The ability to know when to make substitutions, call time outs, foul, etc. can be the difference between regaining control of momentum and being the victim of a 15+ point run. The coach is responsible for managing the game plan. In an Agile Basketball team, the coach leverages player feedback and analytics to craft and gain buy-in to strategy. The assistant coaches are responsible for creating advanced scouting reports for upcoming games and offering the coach suggestions during the game based on that advance scouting. Assistant coaches are responsible for tracking data during the game, which, combined with an analytic or stat tool can provide key insight for the coaching staff, and provide real time decisions. http://agilebasketball.org/agile-basketball-events/

The Sprint Retrospective is a three-hour meeting, which follows the Sprint Review Meeting and precedes the upcoming Sprint Planning Session (preferably the first day off). The Sprint Retrospective allows the team to inspect its performance and make adjustments for the next Sprint. The Agile Basketball Consultant ensures that the Sprint Retrospective takes place and that attendees are clear on the objective of the meeting. The Agile Basketball Consultant teaches the team to manage the meeting within the time frame. The Agile Basketball Consultant is a participant in this meeting and provides oversight for the Agile Basketball process. The Agile Basketball Consultant is a participant in this meeting and provides oversight for the Agile Basketball process. http://agilebasketball.org/agile-basketball-events/

Sprint Review Meetings are held at the completion of each five game Sprint. The purpose of the meeting is to inspect the results of the Sprint and adapt the Sprint Performance Dashboard metrics and value for next Sprint, if needed. During the Sprint Review Meeting, the team and invited attendees discuss what they achieved during the Sprint, what they need to improve upon in the upcoming Sprint and any obstacles or challenges that may keep the team from meeting its overall objectives. Based on this collaboration, as well as any changes to the Sprint Performance Dashboard during the Sprint, the team determines the next metrics that need incorporated to the upcoming Sprint to optimize performance and produce wins. This is an informal meeting and the purpose is to gather feedback and foster transparency among the team. The Sprint Review Meeting is a two-hour meeting following each five game Sprint. The Agile Basketball Consultant ensures that the Sprint Review Meeting takes place... http:/...

The Post-Game Meeting is a 15-minute event for the players to reflect on the game and create/validate their plan for the next game. This allows the team to decide if the adjustments made from the previous game were effective. The Post-Game Meeting is held at consistent times (such as immediately following the game) to reduce complexity and promote consistency). During the meeting, the players review the stat sheets as they compare to their individual and team goals (planned value) and they make self and team assessments on the following: How did I perform this game against my assigned metrics? What areas I’ll improve on next game? What obstacles may jeopardize team from meeting our Sprint Goal? http://agilebasketball.org/agile-basketball-events/

The goals to be achieved during the Sprint is planned at the Sprint Planning Session. This plan is created by the collaborative work of the Key Agile Team Members (Analyst, Players, and Coaches). Sprint Planning Sessions are limited to a maximum of four hours for a five game Sprint. The Agile Basketball Consultant ensures that the Sprint Planning Session takes place and that everybody understands its purpose. The Agile Basketball Consultant teaches the team to keep the session within the four hour time frame. Sprint Planning Sessions answer the following: ⦁ What areas can we improve and which goals can we reach in the upcoming Sprint? ⦁ How will the players deliver the desired results?⦁ What will the team needs to do in order to achieve its Sprint Goals? http://agilebasketball.org/agile-basketball-events/

The core of the Agile Basketball Framework is a Sprint, an incremental schedule of five games during which a set of specific target metrics and goals are accomplished. It is recommended that each of the Sprints have a consistent number of games to ensure consistency when measuring progress and effectiveness of various strategies and game plans implemented throughout the season. When the Sprint is completed, the next Sprint begins immediately. Sprints contain and include the Sprint Planning Session, the five scheduled games, the Post-Game Meetings, the Sprint Review Meeting, and the Sprint Retrospective. During the Sprint the following rules apply: - Adjustments cannot be made to the Sprint Performance Dashboard that keeps the team from reaching the Sprint Goal, - Existing performance benchmarks do not decrease, and, - Players can change the metrics they plan to achieve as long as it does not decrease their planned value - Goals may be re-negotiated between the analyst &. http://agi...

The Agile Basketball Consultant is responsible for ensuring the Agile Basketball Framework is understood and executed successfully. Agile Basketball Consultants do this by providing feedback and recommendations to ensure that the team adheres to Agile Basketball principles, processes, and rules. The Agile Basketball Consultant is a passive-leader on the team who helps stakeholders understand how to effectively communicate with the players how they can maximize value and performance. The Agile Basketball Consultant acts as the advisor to the entire team organization. http://agilebasketball.org/agile-basketball-roles/

When an analyst sets the key objectives of a sprint, they prioritize the performance metrics (in the Sprint Performance Dashboard), assess the complexity of each metric based on the schedule and individual matchups within the Sprint, and assigns a value to them. Value for performance metrics vary from Sprint to Sprint and player to player based on the competition of the schedule and what the team needs him to do. This assesses the feasibility of each metric and forces players to challenge themselves in other areas when goals related to their strengths and skillsets are difficult to accomplish (for example, the chances of winning the matchup of scoring or rebounding against a guard like Russell Westbrook is low, therefore the guard in that matchup is forced to find other performance metrics they will win in that matchup, thus creating value). It’s very important that the entire team share a clearly defined and common understanding of the value point system. http://agilebasketball.org/mo...

Prescribed events are used in the Agile Basketball Framework to create consistency and to maximize team performance throughout each Sprint as the team strives to reach its overall goal. Aside from the 5-Game Sprint, which comprises of the other Agile Basketball Events (Sprint Planning Session, Sprint Review Meeting, Sprint Retrospective and Post Game Meetings), each event in Agile Basketball serves the purpose of increasing transparency, promoting inspection and self-organization, and building synergy. Failing to deliver on any of these events throughout the process will result in undesirable performance. http://agilebasketball.org/agile-basketball-events/

The job of a scout is to evaluate players on their strengths, weaknesses and ability to add value to the team. The ultimate goal of scouts is to identify the players who can add the greatest contribution to achieving the team’s goals. Scouts deliver reports that identify these players and their availability status (free agency or trade). Through Agile Basketball, a scout can persuade a player to join the team because the data and analytics supports the value they can add to achieving the team’s goals. Scouts are team ambassadors and are responsible for creating relationships with players outside the team, specifically players who can buy into Agile Basketball philosophy and help the team achieve its goal. Scouts must have a keen eye for identifying and rating players at that level, whose style is consistent with the team identity. While some stats and performance indicators can indicate an external player’s compatibility, scouts serve as the boots on the ground. http://agilebasketball....

The coach is the team decision maker and works closely with the analyst (remember, the coach can also be the team analyst in smaller programs). While this role functions much like a traditional coach, the self-organizing principles of Agile Basketball open up the possibilities of utilizing a player-coach for this role. Players such as Lebron James, Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, Chris Paul, Paul George and John Wall are a few who possess the qualities to possibly fulfill the dual function of player/coach. The coach’s job is to guide the team toward synergy, where all players are working together on both sides of the floor, delivering the value they commit to during Sprint Planning. Look for a post in the near future about Estimating Player “Value” toward Team Goals and measuring player and team value. The coach guides the team in executing the game plan and adjusting the strategy as necessary to win games. Read More... http://agilebasketball.org/agile-basketball-roles/

The players consist of the 5-15 team members who deliver the product on the court. They are the individuals responsible for setting and meeting their Sprint Goals and executing their roles which contribute to the team’s overall objective. Through their planned Player Value Cards players can manage their game plan on how they will add value and help achieve team goals (see Player Value Cards for more details). With the assistance of the analyst and/or coaching staff, the players use data to identify how they can add value and contribute to each game. Provided the metrics are valued correctly, the player’s and team’s overall efficiency and effectiveness will be optimized. Players also provide recommendations to the lead analyst into areas they believe data could be organized to help them play with more synergy. http://agilebasketball.org/agile-basketball-roles/

The analyst is part statistician, part team leader. He or she is responsible for maximizing the results on the court through analytics and shaping the goals of the Sprint, as well as the overall objectives. In Agile Basketball, the analyst is the lead statistician. The analyst is responsible for team data, the interpretation of data, and reporting performance. This person translates the needs and goals of the team to the player’s performance. The analyst clarifies any details regarding the team’s focus and areas for improvement, and is responsible for maintaining a dashboard that lists and prioritizes the target metrics and goals, and recommends the planned value for each Sprint. Learn More... http://www.agilebasketball.org

The key members of the Agile Basketball framework are the analysts, coaches, players and the Agile Basketball Consultant. Secondary roles include the athletic director, scouts, and other stakeholders. Players are self-organizing and willing to improve their range of skills and attributes. Self-organizing teams determine the best way to accomplish their goals, with guidance from the coaching staff. This concept may sound unrealistic right now, but as you read this guide, you’ll learn that self organization is a natural transition for teams that operate under the principles of Agile Basketball. The continuous improvement model in Agile Basketball is designed to maximize value, performance and synergy. http://www.agilebasketball.org

Assistant coaches help the players develop their skills and knowledge of the game. They share their experience with the players, and help them players reach their Sprint target metrics and maximize their value. The key role of assistant coaches is to make sure player IQs are growing, and that the players are developing synergy. Ideal assistant coaches are former coaches or players with deep understanding of spatial data, improving offensive and defensive efficiency, and teaching players how to react off the ball. They have a track record for promoting ball movement and player movement, in addition to exploiting analytics from spatial data. Ideal assistant coaches are former players with a track record for promoting ball movement and player movement, in addition to exploiting analytics from spatial data. Learn more about their role... http://agilebasketball.org/agile-basketball-roles/

Agile Basketball helps teams resolve include the following: - The culture to constantly hire new coaches expecting different results⦁ - Lack of player discipline or buy-in to coach’s strategy - Inability to accurately measure player value based on intangibles - Lack of clarity/transparency of goals - Lack of team identity and understanding how each player encompasses that identity - Adapting to change (trades, injuries, firings, etc) - Lack of ball movement and court spacing - Lack of investment to teaching players analytics and basketball IQ http://www.agilebasketball.org

There’s a saying, “what gets measured gets done”. The human brain is wired to achieve, once we are able to create clear, measurable goals and a plan for reaching them. If teams can successfully identify metrics that capture the intangible attributes that drive team success, and present it in a format where players can clearly understand and decide what they can do to create value, then a shift from the individual mentality to the team first mentality will occur, and teams will achieve synergy. Synergy is the interaction or cooperation of the players to deliver a combined value greater than the sum of their separate value. Synergy is the state that every team should strive to reach and maintain. Agile Basketball helps teams identify these strategies and achieve synergy faster. Agile Basketball provides a framework that every team at every level can apply to their existing analytic and reporting system or statistics to translate their data into results on the court. http://www.agilenba.c...

There are six pillars that form the foundation of Agile Basketball as team data is transformed into action on the court: - Data - Transparency - Inspection - Adaptation - Self-organization - Synergy. http://www.agilenba.com