Project Management Methodology

We evolve our PM methodologies with progress in the field. Agile is popular, and more and more organizations use it to deliver value to their customers incrementally.

A key part of Agile is collaboration of developers and end users. That means key stakeholders can provide input at various phases, allowing flexibility on product specifics. And agencies don’t have to wait years for results with Agile—the goal is to deliver working software piece by piece.

Scrum’s values of courage, focus, commitment, respect, and openness are in harmony with our own values, ensuring that Agile development is more than just a process; it is a mindset.

Key aspects of our Agile project management methodology include:

• Setting up Scrum Teams. Implementation of a Scrum Team consisting of the Development Team,
  Product Owner, and the Scrum Master.
• Establishing sprints. A sprint is a fixed-duration period of time in which ideas get turned into value.  It encompasses ceremonies like Sprint Planning, the Daily Scrum, the Sprint Review, and the Sprint Retrospective.
• Managing Scrum Artifacts. For example, we can handle the Product Backlog, the Sprint Backlog, and Product Increments.
• Estimating. Developer-driven task estimation activities to capture the level of effort for user stories.
• Understanding of tools. We can use Agile tools like JIRA and Azure DevOps to manage product
  and sprint backlogs, sprints, and deployment.

Waterfall is a proven methodology, and we have extensive experience working with Waterfall projects. Many of our clients’ own processes are driven by Waterfall project management. We can meet them where they are–while bringing our own expertise to the table.

We use processes outlined in the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMI PMBOK), and we take the time to tailor our approach for each individual project.

Key aspects of our Waterfall project management methodology include:

• Defined, scalable processes for all phases of a project. That includes customized documentation based on client needs.
• Focus on visibility and transparency. We ensure that clients understand the project management processes and how they will be advantageous for our clients.
• Project phase review. We ensure that between each major stage of project, we review project health, deliverables, project management processes and documentation.
• Strong understanding of tools. We bring expertise with industry-standard tools such as MS Project and Smartsheet to plan and execute projects while providing real time updates via data-driven dashboards. That means better assignment of tasks and management of all project documentation.
• Creation and distribution of regular status reports. Of course the team wants to know how the project is going. We make a point of keeping everyone informed at the right level and with the right frequency.

More and more, agencies are realizing that there are some real benefits to executing projects In an Agile methodology. But if your agency isn’t already working with Agile projects, you may not be able to make a radical shift in project management. That’s especially true with large projects that are key to agency goals. How do we meet the needs of external influences that require Waterfall execution, while still taking advantage of the benefits of incremental delivery that comes along with Agile projects?

We can bridge that gap for you by leveraging key aspects of Scrum while working within the framework of a more traditional Waterfall methodology.

While hybrid projects are particularly unique, we’ve successfully managed many of the following aspects
of hybrid projects:

• Upfront high-level waterfall planning of the entire project, with detailed waterfall planning and
  execution of each increment.
• Upfront requirements definition. Requirements are used to generate a backlog of tasks (stories)
  that will drive delivery and priorities.
• Delivery of project in moderately sized increments. Sizing depends on client needs, but typically, we can work towards monthly to quarterly deployments of parts of the system.
• Daily stand-up meetings. We keep the team informed and on track, ensuring that everyone has what they need to be successful for the day. And we identify road blocks for the project manager to address.
• Task estimation activities. We understand the detailed level of effort for a given piece of functionality.
• Two-week sprints. Two-week sprints (development cycles) to allow everyone to have a better understanding of project velocity and see results quickly.
• Waterfall project documentation packages. We include documents like the project charter, project plan(s), verification and validation test reports, and project closure reports.