winning and delivering big projects from a small … · winning and delivering big projects from a...
TRANSCRIPT
WINNING AND DELIVERING BIGPROJECTS FROM A SMALL
AGENCY PERSPECTIVEDRUPALCON BARCELONA 2015
By / Ramon Vilar @rvilar
INDEX1. Context2. The team3. Sales process4. The methodology5. Working closely6. Culture7. Impact in your business
CONTEXT
SMALL AGENCYDuring this session, we can define a small agency as:
Team with 3-10 peopleMultifunctionalHorizontal
TYPICAL PROJECTS1 to 4 monthsEvery project from a different client or sectorWhen working for big client, usually working through bigagencies
OUR DESIREWe want to remove layers between us and our clients to
work closely with them
We want projects during at least 6 months to not change veryoften
Try to repeat several projects with the same clients
How can we do that and how we can transform our agency tobe the perfect one for them?
THE TEAM
THE TEAMIt's impossible to have all the expertise in our team (causethe size)Two alternatives:
GeneralistsFocus in some services
GENERALISTSOur developers, as in SCRUM, won't have any specific areaof expertiseThey can do frontend or backendAlike, you will usually have people in your team morespecialist in back or front
SERVICESFocus your business in a specific set of servicesAs more focused in a set of services, your team willtransform in more specialists on thatBig clients usually have specific needs in some areas:performance, frontend, etc. Transform your team in asolution for that need
PLANNING YOUR RESOURCESWhat about deadlines and working peaks with a smallteam?Try to adapt your team to the work you usually haveBeware the mistake of hiring new developers on workingpeaksCreate a network of contractors (freelance) and teachthem your methodologyUse them to solve working peaks
SALES PROCESSHow to introduce you in that customer type?
ClassicUse same customer type to introduce youBe an expert and then try to be a need for them
For us, for example, it's easier to enter to a client for ITdepartment instead of marketing
THE METHODOLOGY
BIG IN FRONT OF SMALLUsually big clients use classical methodologies into theirorganizationThis involves a lot of "unnecessary" documentation and isusually too slow for our day-to-day workIt can be a pitfall for small agencies
OUR METHODOLOGY: INTERNALUsing agile as methodology to organize our development(mandatory in small teams)User stories in project backlogOrganizing with 2-3 weeks sprintsRetrospective at the end of every sprint to try to preventpitfalls on development
OUR METHODOLOGY: EXTERNALOnly one person or small group (2-3 people) as contact forthe project development (include at least one IT person)Try to extract all the requirements before startingdevelopmentMore in depth on requirements during the developmentBacklog priorization with the clientDemo meeting after every retrospective meeting withdemo test plan for the client
WHO SHOULD CHANGEClients usually don't use agile in their processesAdapt their workflow to use agileDon't try to use all agile techniques in the first project: slowprogress during projectsRetrospective at the end of every project to show them theagile positive things (and what need improvement)Introduce new changes in the methodology for nextproject
WORKING CLOSELY
CLOSELY WITH MANAGERSAs a small agency, you need to remove all the classic layersReplace sales person for a technical that sales projectsUse plain and direct languageDon't hide problems nor benefits
CLOSELY WITH IT DEPARTMENTIntegrate you with the IT department: try to be theircounselorYou should not be a simple provider. You must be theirhelperBe part of their team
CULTURE
TEAM CULTUREHow do you explain to a client that the team won't workthis week for DrupalCon? And DevDays? AndDrupalCamp?...How do you explain that you "waste" project time inmodule fixes and patches?Be plain in your explanation
PROJECT AND COMMUNITYIt's a benefit for them to improve Drupal as a platformIntroduce them to the community cultureHelp them to create a page in d.o and give credit to thepatches and modules developed for themThis benefits them into the community too
IMPACT IN YOUR BUSINESS
FINANCESBig clients are usually slow on payments or have a verystrict processThis can be dangerous for finances in a small agencyIntroduce agile in your budgets for large projectsInvoice at the end of every sprint or n sprints
TEAMDevelopers may end up bored to work in big projectsBe carefull with rotationTry to combine big and small projects on teamsInvolve them in all project phasesMotivation is the key
CONCLUSIONSThis is not a TODO to follow, is a recipeTake care of your teamHumanize the relationship with your clientIT department is better than marketing to introduce you
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
Ramon Vilar@rvilar
http://ymbra.com