Incentives drive outcomes: modeling AI tool value via engineering KPIs
JoeJustice · x · 2026-09-18
Asked how to win over senior leadership when waterfall-style evaluation and management culture block agile adoption, and how to handle AI being treated as a cost, Joe Justice answered:
- Incentives drive outcomes: find the part of the incentive system you can influence, and grow influence by showing faster pace of quality releases
- Push for team incentives based on improving top engineering KPIs, rewarding merit focused on excellent engineering
- Tools like AI can be financially modeled by comparing how fast engineering KPIs improve with vs. without the tool, plus effects on guard KPIs like monthly team cost (salary plus tools)
Quantifying AI ROI is the key to getting executive buy-in.
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