If you were at our recent Coffee Break, you’d have heard Mary Kathryn raving about Agile! Agile is an approach to project management that originated in software development. But, we think it is an invaluable tool for managing any kind of work. It has been a game changer for us in Web Services.
Why Agile makes us swoon
There are lots of reasons. But there are two principles that really resonate with our team.
Adaptability
“Agile is the ability to create and respond to change” (Agile for Dummies). I love this description. And it reflects our mindset as a team. We strive to be flexible and adaptable. And to respond to changing tech, requirements, and the needs of our clients (that’s you!) in a timely way.
People & collaboration centric
The other thing we love about agile is that it focuses on people. It is humans that develop and create things to be used by other humans. And collaboration (with each other, our clients, and other departments) is the way to create great things.
How does it work?
With some trial and error, we’ve adapted Agile to suit our needs. This article will give you a quick overview of what we do. It may not be the typical Agile implementation, but it works for us. Have a read to see if some of these ideas might work for you.
Sprints and planning
A sprint is a designated amount of time in which to complete specific tasks. We plan our project work (e.g., cuTheme, Intranet, Events Calendar) in 3-week sprints where we break the work down into manageable bits of work.
At the start of each sprint, we have a 2-hour planning meeting that involves the entire team. We go over the work that we need to do to move each project toward completion. Each person on the team has a chance to contribute ideas and discuss concerns. How much effort will it take? Is it realistic to complete it in the allotted time?
If too large, some tasks may get broken down into smaller components and saved for a future sprint. At the end of this meeting, we will have created a plan for the following 3 weeks. We track everything in JIRA via tickets.
Stand-ups
Throughout the sprint, our team meets each morning. These meetings are quick – 15 minutes. And we manage to let all 12 team members give an update in that time!
Each person gives a brief update. This includes what they did the day before, what they will work on this day, and if they have any issues (or blockers). It’s a great way to connect, prepare for the day, ask questions, and determine if things are moving along.
The Superhero
Every two weeks, one of our developers takes a turn as the Superhero. Their job (when not fighting crime) is to work on service desk tickets. This includes things like site installs, bugs, tech issues, and any requests that come in. This is separate from project work.
The superhero also runs the daily standup meetings. They go through tickets and sometimes throw in a fun question like – what music are you listening to? (And we still manage to let everyone give an update in those 15 minutes …)
Demo meetings
At the end of each sprint, we have a demo meeting where we show our clients and teammates what we’ve accomplished. It’s a time to show off what we have been working on and to get feedback. It is so valuable to get input in the early stages and along the way. It confirms if we are headed in the right direction, need to change course, or can improve things.
Retrospectives
Once the sprint is over, the team meets to discuss how it all went. We talk about what went well and what we could improve. From this, we create a list of action items to put in place for the next sprint. It’s a way for us to reflect and to continue to improve.
Learning and development week
The 4th week after a sprint is for learning and development. Each team member has time to do relevant training and to focus on what they need and want to learn. It also gives us a chance to do documentation and tie up any loose ends before jumping into the next sprint.
Agile has been pivotal in how we work. It allows us to focus on what needs doing, gives us the time to do it, and has fostered a collaborative environment.
Want to learn more?
Stay tuned for an Agile discussion in our upcoming Web Wednesday series. Subscribe to our newsletter for further info and dates!