I’ve been trying to get in shape over the last few months, got myself a smart watch and everything.

At first It was great, if I went running it noticed and recorded everything for me automatically, I was really happy to view progress and see how I was doing. 

Then I started going to the gym, all of a sudden it wasn’t recording, it didn’t notice if I was doing weights, machines or anything except running, which was annoying.

Then it started telling me I needed to do more exercise, I was not amused.

It turns out I need to tell the watch that I’m doing circuit training in the gym and then it notices everything. 

So why am I telling you this? Well, progress reporting is no different. Our stakeholders don’t see everything, so we need to show them the good work that we are doing. We cannot just expect them to notice.

So don’t sell yourself short in status updates and sprint reviews, show the good work, not just the problems that you need help with. 

Avoid the frustration and put your good work under the spotlight.