Big Visible Chart

Sometimes a behavior is learnable, but not yet learned.

TheCoach may create a chart that shows the status (usually over time). By putting this chart in the public area, everybody gets a reminder of where the team is on this, and visual feedback of the team's progress.

For example, many teams have a graph showing the progress of AcceptanceTests over time - how many tests passed, how many failed. Or the team may have a chart showing status for each test.

As another example, WardCunningham once created a matrix with developers listed on both axes, and asked people to put a check in the box for each person they paired with during the iteration.

When the behavior is internalized, the team will often remove the chart.

---

Speaking of Big Visible Chart, MartyAndrews? had a site on the topic: http://www.bigvisiblecharts.com/blog/ . Marty's current blog is at http://www.martyandrews.net/blog/

---

Single Person Projects (MicroIsv-s)

Big Visible Charts aren't just beneficial to teams.

For a single person project, the priority is on:

• accountability to my stakeholders (family)
• focus (to keep me working on the right things)
• urgency (to constantly remind me how much work still needs to be done)

To satisfy these purposes my BVC has:

• Work Breakdown Structure (printed by MS Project)
• Schedule (a linear calendar of 4 weeks)
• Backlog Tasks cards (taken from WBS to show what is coming up)
• Current Scheduled Tasks cards (taken from WBS to show what is currently being done)
• Recently Completed Tasks cards (to show stakeholders what has been accomplished)

---

Example:

Here's an example of a BigVisibleChart I use for a single-person project in my MicroIsv business. Read a bit about it at http://davidrichardbrooks.blogspot.com/2005/01/big-visible-charts-for-microisv.html (image BrokenLink 2006-01-27)

-- David Brooks

---

(Not to be confused with BigVisibleChert. ;-)