{"id":5003451,"date":"2015-12-17T01:00:21","date_gmt":"2015-12-17T09:00:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aadev22.local\/?post_type=aa_glossary&p=5003451"},"modified":"2023-03-08T15:58:14","modified_gmt":"2023-03-08T23:58:14","slug":"niko-niko","status":"publish","type":"aa_glossary","link":"https:\/\/agilealliance.org\/glossary\/niko-niko\/","title":{"rendered":"Niko-niko Calendar"},"content":{"rendered":"

The team installs a calendar<\/a> on one of the room\u2019s walls. The format of the calendar allows each team member to record, at the end of every workday, a graphic evaluation of their mood during that day. This can be either a hand-drawn \u201cemoticon\u201d, or a colored sticker, following a simple color code, for instance: blue for a bad day, red for neutral, yellow for a good day. Over time, the niko-niko calendar reveals patterns of change in the moods of the team, or of individual members.<\/p>\n

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Picture from Portfolio Visualization and Prioritization for Business Agility \u2013 Workshop<\/a><\/p>\n

Also Known As<\/h2>\n

The Japanese word \u201cniko\u201d means \u201csmile\u201d; following a common pattern of word doubling in Japanese, \u201cniko-niko\u201d has a meaning closer to \u201csmiley\u201d. The term \u201cmood board\u201d is also seen. It is an information radiator<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Expected Benefits<\/h2>\n

The value of this practice lies in making somewhat objective an important element of team performance \u2013 motivation or well-being \u2013 which is generally seen as entirely subjective and thus impossible to measure and track. This may be seen as an illustration of the Gilb Measurability Principle: \u201canything you need to quantify can be measured in some way that is superior to not measuring it at all.\u201d In other words, a measurement does not have to be perfect or even very precise, as long as your intent is to get a quantitative handle on something that was previously purely qualitative; the important thing is to take that first step toward quantifying.<\/p>\n

Common Pitfalls<\/h2>\n

As with other activities, such as retrospectives<\/a>, where team members are asked to report subjective feelings, self-censorship is always a risk. This could be the case, for instance, if team members who report poor days are blamed for \u201cwhining\u201d, by management or by teammates.<\/p>\n

Origins<\/h2>\n