Value Generation, Value measurement and Risk mitigation – Frame work for Software development Process
The Qatalys development Process is based on Scrum (an Agile methodology), which has its core foundation laying on Incrementally Iterative Development (IID).
Our Software development process, Scrum, is based on the following three principles:
- Rapid Value Generation
- Risk mitigation
- Value measurement
Rapid Value Generation
Scrum lets the customer get value generated on every iteration. Typically iteration, known as Sprint, could be of 2 weeks of work or 4 weeks or work depends on the project and or customer requirements and expectation. We recommend a Sprint of 2 weeks with a team of 5-6 people (again the team size depends on the project size and the work to be completed in every 2 weeks). At the end of the sprint (2 weeks), what is delivered to the client is a working piece of software which is a subset of the whole system to be developed. (If the project is a Knowledge Transfer or transition or analysis of the systems, the deliverables will be documents or reverse presentations etc.) The team, mentored by a Scum Master, picks up the some features that can be developed by them for this period of 2 weeks. The list of features or tasks that are prioritized by the client or a person known as Product owner. This list is often known as Product Backlog. So maintaining a list of priorities from the client ensures greater Customer collaboration and there by increases the communication between the team and Customer.
So, from the customer point of view, you could see there is a quick and consistent value being generated by getting fully developed features by sprint by sprint. This is contrary to the traditional development process (quite often known as Waterfall), where the customer often needs to wait for a long time (months or even years) to see the features developed. A Graph of comparison is being given below
Scrum Process improves the Visibility as the delivery happens in every 2 weeks (Sprint). The next graph shows the value generation in using Scrum process
Risk Mitigation
Scrum exposes the risks early in the development / engagement phase, as opposed to late risk detection in traditional development process like waterfall. The actual risk of meeting the deadline or money spent is limited only to a sprint (2 or 4 weeks). The Stakeholders as well the team will be able to understand the risks involved and either eliminate or mitigate them as early as 2 weeks in a large project. This aspect is shown in the graph below:
Value measurement
There are two kinds of measurements that can be very useful to see how the value is getting generated consistently. These are 1) Burn down Chart and 2) Velocity
Burn down Chart
This will let us know how the value is being generated on a daily basis. In this chart we will see the tasks (value) that are being accomplished on daily basis while the spring is in progress. A typical Burn down Chart looks as below:
From the above graph, we can monitor how much work has been accomplished or how much value has been created and how much is left out in the Sprint, on a daily basis.
Velocity
Velocity in simple terms is the productivity or the amount of work that can be taken up the team per sprint (2 or 4 weeks). This data will normally get better or improved as the project progress from Sprint 1 to further sprints as the knowledge about the system, architecture, domain improves over a period of time. This will be useful to plan or do estimation for the subsequent work or sprints.
This will be helpful for refining the team’s productivity and there by achieving predictability in estimation.
Is Scrum suitable any type of projects or tasks?
Yes, it is suitable for development projects, maintenance projects, production Support etc. It is also suitable for documentation work, Knowledge transfer, Analysis work where the defined deliverables (which need not be code) could be delivered iteratively and incrementally over
2 or weeks of time
What is the prerequisite for Scrum?
Obviously, first one is customer collaboration. Customer’s willingness to participate in setting up the priorities during the iteration (sprint planning) and also in the review of the finished goods or code or features or documentation... Secondly, a road map of wish list for
future projects. This will help the team also to advise or help the customer on prioritization.
Can the priority be changed during the project?
Yes, Scrum is open and receptive to Scope changes unlike traditional methodology (e.g., waterfall). However, changing the scope within the iteration or sprint (2 or 4 weeks or work) is not generally advised as it involves re work or re planning.
What are the overall benefits of using this process?
Better transparency on what is developed Vs Cost; better visibility on risks, incremental growth of value generated as early and consistently in the project, better productivity measurements of the team, are some of these.
Head – Delivery & Operations ; Qatalys Software Technologies.
