Executive summary
As the client brought development for its web platforms in-house to enable faster, more agile delivery cycles, Frontwalker was engaged to design a new agile requirements process specifically for the in-sourced web programme - built to be simple enough to describe in a single diagram and easy to train teams on.
The challenge
1. Business challenge
The client’s existing common development model no longer matched the needs of its newly in-sourced, agile web development. A new requirements process was needed to support both existing and newer web platforms within a tightly time-boxed engagement.
Key business challenges included:
- The client's existing common development model no longer matched the needs of newly in-sourced, agile web development.
- A new requirements process needed to work across both an older custom-built web platform and the newer Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) platform.
- The engagement was tightly time-boxed, requiring sharp prioritisation of scope and depth.
- There was a secondary ambition, though not the primary goal, that the new process could later extend to other client IT platforms.
2. Technical challenge
The new requirements process needed to be clearly defined in a single diagram, built from proven best-practice components, and informed by a structured GAP analysis to prioritise the problem areas within the available time.
Key technical challenges included:
- The new process needed to be describable in a single diagram defining what, when and by whom each activity should be carried out
- It needed to be built from proven, existing best-practice components rather than a bespoke design from scratch
- A structured GAP-analysis was needed to identify and prioritise which of several problem areas to address given the limited time available
What we did
1) Frontwalker’s approach and solution
Frontwalker combined a structured GAP analysis, collaborative workshops and independent expert research to develop the new agile requirements process, define its supporting documentation and artefacts, and provide recommendations for implementation.
2) Delivered solution
- A fully specified new agile requirements process for the client’s web programme, including definitions and documentation guidance.
- A one-page process map depicting the new process end-to-end.
- Experience-based recommendations for successfully implementing the new process across the organisation.
3) Engineering & delivery
- Workshop 1: A broad GAP analysis of the current state using Frontwalker’s V-model, prioritising 3 of 7 identified problem areas.
- Workshop 2: Co-design of the new agile requirements process, its roles, responsibilities, activities and artefacts.
- Independent research and refinement by Frontwalker’s internal expert group, drawing on frameworks such as SAFe and broader best practice.
- Workshop 3: Presentation and joint refinement of the final process map and artefact list, with owners assigned.
4) Collaboration model
- A mixed team of two Frontwalker leads and a three-person internal expert group working alongside approximately eight client representatives spanning business owners, business analysts and developers.
- Findings and the final process were presented directly to the client’s IT business managers and programme leaders.
Business impact / results
Outcomes achieved
- A complete specification for a new agile requirements process ready for phased implementation during 2014.
- Clear guidance on which documentation should be persistent versus project-specific.
- A process simple enough to train new teams on quickly, thanks to its single-diagram design.
- A foundation with potential to extend beyond the web programme to other client IT platforms in future.
