When you sit down to think about your USP – Unique Selling Proposition that gives your Web Design and Development business a competitive advantage over other companies, Price, Quality, Efficiency and Reliability are obvious metrics you will consider. To deliver on these, there are multiple processes that need to be put in place and today we will explore one very critical aspect.<\/p>\n
Project Management is extremely critical to any business, let alone the Design and Development Business. The basics of project management include:<\/p>\n
For any business to function smoothly and professionally especially in an industry like ours, some amount of project management is required. If you\u2019re thinking of starting your own web design \/ development agency or a small business, project management is a great skill to have.<\/p>\n
Taking project management one step further, I\u2019d like to introduce you to SCRUM for you as a software developer.<\/p>\n
What is Scrum Management?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The Scrum process was created by Jeff Sutherland in 1993 after he borrowed the term \u201cscrum\u201d from an analogy put forth by Takeuchi and Nonaka in a 1986 study. The study compared high performing, cross-functional teams to the scrum formation in rugby games.<\/p>\n In simple terms, Scrum is a software project management tool. It is often referred to as an \u201cagile software development model\u201d based on various smaller teams working interdependently and intensely on a project.<\/p>\n What are the advantages of a Scrum approach of management?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n As a professional in the Web Design and Development industry, how does this benefit you? Adopting a certified Project Management method can be a great pitch point when you meet potential clients!<\/p>\n Why Project Management – The Dutch Railway Case Study<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The Dutch railway was among the most heavily used in the world, providing transport to 1.2 million passengers daily. The Dutch railway wanted to build a new information system to deliver to travelers more accurate information which required less manual intervention. After having failed with a previous team using the traditional waterfall technique, they hired a team (comprising of Dutch and Indians) to build a PUB (publish) system that controls information and displays audio broadcast in all stations.<\/p>\n Using the Scrum technique, the team’s first step was to decide on how to do pair programming, use tools, quality targets, core hours etc.<\/p>\n In the first round of iterations, the team proved to be able to build, test and demonstrate user stores. This pleased the customer because:<\/p>\n 1) Progress was demonstrated earlier<\/strong><\/p>\n 2) The customer had more control over the course of the project<\/strong><\/p>\n In terms of the software, the positive outcomes were:<\/p>\n 1) The maintainability of the system was excellent<\/strong><\/p>\n 2) The quality of the code was very high<\/strong><\/p>\n Overall, the Scrum technique helped the team deliver top-notch results with higher client satisfaction, less wastage of resources and a fully workable software.<\/p>\n What type of projects is Scrum used for?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n What are the characteristics of Scrum?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n In the Introduction to Scrum, Mike Cohn outlines the characteristics of Scrum. You can scroll through the whole deck to get a better understanding of Scrum.<\/p>\n\n
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