The following exercise introduces you to the need for operations management and collaboration within the context of the Agile product development process.
Complete the collaboration warm-up exercise,
Agile Product Development. A
transcript
of this interactive exercise is also available.
Consider what you learned in the experience and respond to the following in a minimum of 175 words:
- Have you had any experience working on Agile teams?
- If you have worked on Agile teams, what were the benefits and difficulties of the Agile approach?
- If you have not worked on Agile teams, using this exercise, what benefits and challenges do you foresee applying an Agile approach in your current or future workplace?
- How can the challenges of Agile be mitigated or overcome?
OPS 574 Collaboration Warm-Up Exercise: Agile Product Development Slide 1 Title: Collaboration Warm-Up Exercise: Agile Product Development Slide 2 Title: Exercise Objectives Explain the objectives and need for operations management. Slide 3 Title: Challenge In this warm-up, you will explain the objectives and need for operations management within the context of the Agile product development process. Slide 4 Title: Core Values of Agile Agile is a method to manage and develop new or improved products and processes. It is increasingly popular in business because of its focus on collaboration, rapid prototyping, quick launch, and continuous improvement. Download: The Agile Manifesto Handout Download Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/14pCrvCKWiULcIMmLjRY7m3Iqq_03xVvY/view?usp=sharing Slide 5 Title: Agile Product Development Process Let’s take a look at the Agile process used for product development. In the first stage of Agile, team members envision the desired product or outcomes and develop the scope of the project. Next, the team will speculate client needs and develop the specifications of the project or process. The team will release the plan and develop a method for receiving feedback from stakeholders as the project progresses. The team will then explore deliverables and develop the sequence and timeline for completion of each stage of the project. These stages generally last 2–4 weeks and are called Sprints. As deliverables are completed during a Sprint, the project moves to the Adapt phase, in which stakeholders provide feedback. Modifications are made as needed to improve processes and/or products in future production. Once the product or processes are in an Optimal phase, the project enters the Close phase, and the team develops a report, outlining lessons learned and other findings. Slide 6 Title: Benefits of Agile Methodology The perceived benefits of Agile flow from its transparent and iterative process. These benefits include: · Reduced costs and time for development, launch, and modification · Reduced risk due to adaptive development and emphasis on quality · Greater customer satisfaction due to greater levels of input at each stage of the project and customer-focus · Application of performance metrics to evaluate utilization of resources and keep project on time and on budget · Fewer roadblocks and more timely performance through collaboration and transparency · A mindset that promotes continuous improvement Slide 7 Title: Applications of Agile Although Agile is most often associated with software development projects, it can be used in other applications as well. Describe a non-IT business scenario in which you believe it would be appropriate to apply Agile methodology. [Student Entry] Slide 8 Title: Applications of Agile Feedback Examples of business scenarios which have used Agile include: · Products that require customization or variable styles · Products that can be delivered as individual components · Development and iteration of Integrated marketing campaigns · Mergers & Acquisitions · Enterprise projects, such as client relationship management, financial processes, training, or performance evaluation systems. · Workforce reorganization · Virtual work teams · Development of any product or service · Process improvement · Change management Slide 9 Title: Adopting Agile Processes Now that you understand the basic concepts underlying Agile, let’s examine how an organization can integrate Agile into its operations. Read “From Zero to Product Owner: Setting the conditions to succeed with Agility” (external link: https://medium.com/crowdbotics/from-zero-to-product-owner-or-how-we-set-the-conditions-to-succeed-with-agility-d0e825b591bf). Question 1: How did the use of design thinking at the outset of Agile implementation impact the project? [Student Entry] Question 2: How can leaders facilitate an Agile operations environment? [Student Entry] Question 3: Assume that you have been assigned to an Agile team to develop an updated website for a fashion retailer. What steps should the team take to launch a Minimum Viable Product (MVP)? [Student Entry] Slide 10 Title: Adopting Agile Processes Feedback 1. Design thinking helped the team to empathize and analyze a variety of stakeholders’ needs and identify the most important problems to solve. Design thinking also promoted collaborative brainstorming on possible solutions and integration of varied perspectives 2. Involve a representative cross-section of stakeholders in design thinking and Agile planning; Encourage debate and critical thinking throughout the process; Involve naysayers in the process to improve buy-in and reduce risks 3. The development of a MVP would include: a. Identification of desired functions and features of the site from the perspective of each type of stakeholder, including customers b. Research on the functions and appearance of competitors’ sites c. Evaluate budget and timeline constraints d. Development of prototypes e. Collection and analysis of customer and stakeholder feedback after using the prototype f. Deployment of the MVP g. Evaluation of the function and performance of the MVP h. Report findings of MVP evaluation i. Recommend modifications j. Implement modifications Slide 11 Title: Final Submission Return to your course in Blackboard where you will write a reflection response addressing the following questions: Have you had any experience working on Agile teams? If so, what were the benefits and difficulties of the Agile approach? If not, using this exercise, what benefits and challenges do you foresee applying an Agile approach in your current or future workplace? How can the challenges of Agile be mitigated or overcome?