Remote-Agile methodology part-2

IS REMOTE – WORK AGAINST AGILE?

Sometimes, one may feel that remote - work is against Agile by nature, and he may struggle as if he is floating against the tide to implement a trusted agile methodology such as SCRUM or Kanban, etc.

But, if we need to be specific about this question “Is Remote –Work against Agile or not?”, then the answer is of course not, because Agile is not a certain process, or a specific methodology, Agile is A Way Of Thinking, or by definition, Agile is A Mindset, that could be work in all context.
Today you may have heard about Agile For Humans, or Agile HR??

GET PREPARED FOR REMOTE-AGILE

In the previous section I have mentioned only 4 challenges but at the same time are essentials:

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools, is the first rule
• The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation
• Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.
• And the challenging one: Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.

but of course there are more challenges we may face when we go deeper, but It’s enough for now and let’s jump to the solution.
Now, we are going to discuss in the coming part how we can overcome those challenges when working remotely and how we can even perform better with remote- distributed –teams model?

Maintain smart documentation:

A document that is written to be Reachable, Readable and Maintainable is called smart documentation, it’s life time starts from early phases of a projects (from ideation for ex.) and lasts for product life, so keep it updated all the time with any changes or feedback come from any stakeholders including market or client himself.

Select best- fit tools:

Be careful when choosing apps and tools that you will use in different phases for building your product.
Analysis, planning, implementation and deployment, each of which require a tool to maintain content and integrate with other phases in both directions – Forward and Backward.

You may consider the following when selection:

Select based on your team size
Consider all project stakeholders as a team member, it’s the case for most startups.
Select tools that could be integrated to each other, that would allow full visibility of progress.
Easy to maintain, cheap to scale in future.
Study selected tool very well and compare with others options
Learn well how to use it, before adding your assets.

Keep integrity:

From high –level requirements to lines of codes, keep things integrated, first, to not lose focus, second to keep your eyes for the whole vision to ensure always being on track.

That could be done by two things, a platform (Tools/Apps) and process.
• I'm not talking about integration between tools and apps only, but most important that you follow the process which keeps updating forward as well as backward.
• Agile can fix it if you stick to its process.

Communication and meetings:

We replace the Face-to- Face conversations by online meetings, and for honestly speaking we will never have the same gain, so try to do the following:
• Attend all agile ceremonies, on time.
• Keep your camera open, as much as you can.
• Contribute in discussion and share your ideas (Don’t stay silent)
• Report issues during meetings and avoid postponements.
• Ask, ask and ask.

Keep collaborating:

Business team and technical team together we call them in agile as “Development team”
As engagement of business people within the development process ensures integrity, focusing on goals, keeping on track all the time and as a result achieving objectives with minimal deviation.
Members should always collaborate with each other and support each other. that anyone has a question for ex, the answer should come fast and clear. (A SM – SCRUM Master responsibility)

Keep reviewing:

Review at small intervals for what has been done, and verify it with the goals and objectives, will ensure keeping on track with the business value we have intended to introduce to our customer, even if required to tune or change “What” we decide to implement.

CONCLUSION

Whether we are startups or product based models, we can succeed with our project development when we turn to the work-From-Home model if we practice Remote-Agile methodology.