Going Agile with SCRUM

For all you web dev digital account managers and software PM's out there...

Ten Tips to Help You Get Started

1; Just do it!

Train later. But as this is an empirical or 'real life' control process, you're best off jumping in. 

Read up of course. But no need to employ a guru. Aim to be the guru. 

2; Three key ingredients

Get yourself a Product Owner. Use Iterations and TimeBox meetings from the outset. 

3; How to succeed at TimeBoxing

SCRUM dailies are called 'stand up' meetings for a reason. Let people sit down at your peril. Gravity increases blood flow. The combination of focus and slight discomfort means your SCRUM got the home advantage from kick off. 

Still running over ? Distribute free coffee and hold the loo break ’til close. A full bladder concentrates the mind.

4; Learn to chair proceedings delicately 

Getting your bunch of stakeholders to stay on agenda and learning when/ when not to speak-up is a cultural thing. Hence Number 1 above. As PO you can assist with delicate interjections. If, say, two team members are delving deep, suggest they hold that thought and explore it right after the meeting concludes

5; The function of the players 

While PO holds the vision and reps customer interests, the Scrum Master removes obstacles and thus facilitates. The PO can transcend Dev considerations. Don’t go for the PO-Proxy. If your Account Manager is worth their salt, she or he is already seriously client-side and will instinctively know if the product in SCRUM is shaping up to serve business needs.

6; Be flow-friendly

Keep the meeting time regular as clockwork. Dev guys need to pace themselves and build in uninterruptible sessions. While we encourage you to challenge conventions within Agile thought-leadership, we don’t need to be disruptive to developers bread and butter. 

7; Free your intellect

To really 'get' SCRUM, know it's context. Even if you don't yet deploy Sprints or Agile methodologies beyond SCRUM, just have an idea of the grand design. Trust me. Even a subconscious awareness of context feeds your success. With knowledge and quality pitted on the X,Y there is no bell curve here. It's all an upward trajectory. 

Know that Agile processes encourage discreet iterations of improved efficiency. Packets of opportunity. It changes how you think about project tasks. Know also that Agile affords true versatility (clue in the name) yet marries this with rigid practices that all players can rely on when things get chaotic. 

8; The beauty of the KISS

Keep It Simple, Stupid! What did you do yesterday? What you doing today ? What issues do you have? Just address these questions then end it. The best SCRUM is tightly packed, proceeds as a unit and collapses quickly

9; All stakeholders welcome!

In fact, all stakeholders are absolutely necessary. Not just Dev, testing and UX / Design. Sales, account management, PR copywriters, PM, Search, Marketing. All these offices must be considered for team participation. Agile is two pronged. It's software, sure. But it's also real world business for your clients. Geeks and suits. 

10; Get wisdom

To learn more visit iTunes for great weekly podcasts on SCRUM and Agile at large. 

Visit scrum.org

Read the Agile Manifesto

I looked closely at AutoTrader when I interviewed there. Going Agile puts you ahead and consolidates your lead. I see the younger companies taking Agile for granted - BrightFuture and FusionWorkshop to name but two. So look around you. 

Start-ups tend to be Agile. Bigger more established digital shops, especially here in Manchester, UK, are less quick off the mark. 

Enjoy your agility!

GaryKnapton