Understanding High Water Marks in Software Development

HWM stands for "High Water Mark". In the context of software development, a High Water Mark (HWM) is a measure of the maximum amount of work that has been completed in a given period of time. It is used to track progress and identify areas where the team can improve their performance.

The term "high water mark" comes from the idea of a river's water level reaching its highest point during a flood or other event, and then receding back down as the water flows out of the area. Similarly, the HWM in software development represents the highest level of work that has been completed, and then recedes as new work is added and completed.

HWM is typically measured by calculating the total amount of work completed over a certain period of time, such as a sprint or a release cycle. This can include measures such as the number of story points completed, the number of features implemented, or the amount of code written. The HWM is then used to set goals for future periods, and to track progress towards those goals.

For example, if a team has an HWM of 100 story points for a given sprint, they may set a goal for the next sprint of reaching an HWM of 120 story points. This would represent an increase in work completed of 20% over the previous sprint.