Five-Point Guide to Effective Agile and Scrum Project Management

  1. Implement Scrum Framework: Scrum is a popular Agile framework that provides a structured approach to project management. Implement Scrum by forming self-organizing cross-functional teams, appointing a Scrum Master to facilitate the process, and defining clear roles and responsibilities (Product Owner, Scrum Master, Development Team). Utilize Scrum ceremonies like Sprint Planning, Daily Standups, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective to ensure transparency and alignment.
  2. Iterative Development with Sprints: Break down the project into smaller, manageable chunks called Sprints, typically 1-4 weeks long. Prioritize features and tasks in a Product Backlog, and select items for each Sprint during Sprint Planning. Focus on delivering a potentially shippable product increment at the end of each Sprint. Encourage collaboration and adaptability within the team to respond to changes and feedback quickly.
  3. Embrace Agile Principles: Agile project management prioritizes flexibility, collaboration, and delivering value to customers. Embrace the core Agile principles, such as responding to change over following a plan, customer collaboration over contract negotiation, and delivering working software frequently. Ensure the team understands and embodies these principles throughout the project.
  4. Continuous Improvement through Feedback: Foster a culture of continuous improvement by encouraging feedback and reflection at every stage of the project. Conduct regular Sprint Retrospectives to reflect on what went well, what could be improved, and actionable items for the next Sprint. Use feedback from stakeholders and end-users to refine the product backlog and prioritize future work effectively.
  5. Transparent Communication and Collaboration: Communication and collaboration are essential in Agile and Scrum. Maintain transparency by making project information visible to the team through tools like Scrum boards, burn-down charts, and task boards. Encourage open communication during Daily Standups to share progress, identify blockers, and coordinate efforts. Foster a collaborative environment where team members feel empowered to contribute ideas and solutions.

By adopting Agile principles and leveraging the Scrum framework, teams can effectively manage software projects with greater flexibility, collaboration, and focus on delivering value to customers iteratively and incrementally.

Free Learning from Intertech’s Technical Education Division

Times are changing and at Intertech, we’re helping our customers stay on top of the latest developments.  Last week, we held our first live online Summit Series presentation.   Designed with the goal to keep you engaged and on the leading edge, our new Summit Series presentations are just one of the ways we are working to support our customers in every way possible.

First Up,  Using The New Angular 9 Features Was A Success And Well Attended!

First up on the Summit Series topic deck: How To Use The New Angular 9 Features.  Angular 9 includes many new additional tools to help create applications more efficiently with a smaller memory footprint. Whether you are creating a new Angular application or update an existing one, this presentation highlighted many of the new features that should not be overlooked

We kicked off the presentation by talking about Angular versioning and the best practices for updating an Angular website. Then we looked at what Ivy is and why it is so important to Angular. We also discovered the new testing tools and new ways to manage service instances for better reusability and lifetime control. Also covered were the improved in-browser debugging tools. The updates to CSS-bind with Angular 9 were shown with new support for i18n international standards. We wrapped up with a brief look a couple of new Angular controls for hosting YouTube and Google Maps content.

Missed It? We’ve Got You Covered

Missed the presentation? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.  Download the slide deck from our presentation for a recap of the live online event.  Questions? Reach out to us! We’re here to take the worry out of software development.Download Slide Deck

About Intertech

Founded in 1991, Intertech delivers software development consulting and IT training to Fortune 500, Government, and Leading Technology institutions. Learn more about us. Whether you are a developer interested in working for a company that invests in its employees or a company looking to partner with a team of technology leaders who provide solutions, mentor staff, and add true business value, we’d like to meet you. 

Executive Brief: Machine Learning, What You Need to Know Now

This Executive Brief highlights some prominent industries effectively using machine learning today, along with some guidelines for evaluating the potential usefulness of machine learning in your organization. Specifically, this Brief covers specific examples where machine learning is categorizing people or things, predicting likely outcomes, identifying new patterns, and detecting unexpected behaviors.

View the Executive Brief, Machine Learning, What You Need to Know Now.

Executive Brief: Finding and Retaining Stellar IT Employees

Retaining great employees also helps your bottom line. A study by the Center for American Progress found that “very highly paid jobs and those at the senior or executive levels tend to have disproportionately high turnover costs as a percentage of salary (up to 213 percent!).”1 Replacing highly paid people is expensive, not to mention the negative impact of turnover on production, training and employee morale.

How big of an issue is employee retention in the IT industry? Based on LinkedIn member data from 2017, there is a worldwide turnover rate of 10.9 percent; the tech sector (software, not hardware) showing the most volatility with 13.2 percent turnover rate.

What does this look like on a day-to-day basis in your IT workplace? Committed employees:  

  • Care deeply
  • Understand company goals
  • Support and embody company values
  • Feel challenged by their work
  • Use a broad range of skills
  • Practice autonomous problem solving and decision making
  • Take responsibility for whole processes
  • Receive clear and consistent feedback

To learn practical, implementable ideas for each of the above to up your game in hiring and retaining, read our Executive Brief: Finding and Retaining Stellar IT Employees.

Executive Brief: The Pillars of Software Development Success

A study by PricewaterhouseCoopers, which reviewed 10,640 projects from 200 companies in 30 countries, found that only 2.5 percent of the companies successfully completed 100 percent of their projects. Another more recent study was slightly more upbeat, but far from great news. We’re referring to a 2017 report by the Project Management Institute (PMI), which found that 14 percent of IT projects fail and of the projects that didn’t fail outright:

31 percent didn’t meet their goals

43 percent exceeded the budget

49 percent were late

Intertech works with hundreds of companies every year on a wide range of software development projects. We’ve learned a lot about how to avoid these predictable project roadblocks. This Intertech Executive Brief shares our best thinking, and the thinking of recognized software development experts, to help you avoid these issues – as well as “bonus success tips” for your next software development project.

Click here to read Executive Brief: The Pillars of Software Development Success