Looking for a Partner not a Client
As developers we are constantly striving to create a valuable product for our customer, but if that development process is going to be successful then both the customer and our team have to be involved in the creation process. Agile developers have a process centered around feedback and interaction with our customers (that’s you!), and if you are a customer we have a few tips for how this process can work best.
Constant Dialogue Constant Development
The agile development process is all about doing short iterations in order to get feedback quickly so that unnecessary work is avoided. One of the harder things to do when working with a customer new to agile is getting them acquainted with the fluidity of agile methods. We don’t just go off in a cave for 3-6 months with computers and reappear with a useful working product. Short iterations means that we might need feedback weekly (often daily!), on changes and new features.
By feedback, we don’t just mean our team asking you questions like “What do you mean by this?” We mean actual two-way dialogue. We are going to respectfully challenge you on your priorities, on your feature ideas, and offer our own ideas for new features and ways to implement your ideas. We are more than just code monkeys – we are code commandos who can help you with the full visioning of your product, not just the technical implementation details.
The good thing is that since the changes are broken down into small chunks we don’t need a lot of your time. Standups are no longer than 15 minutes, and since we do our standups remotely you can attend from anywhere! Outside of the standups, you can expect that we will need another 1-3 hours of your time over the course of a week to review wireframes, demo functionality, and discuss revisions.
If we keep up this routine with you as a constant dialogue then we can have a quick and smooth development process without any loss in quality. That is what agile can deliver, and that’s why it’s so perfect for our startup clients.
Facing Challenges
We can’t always go easy on you, and we shouldn’t. If you are running a business then the tough decisions about tradeoffs have to be made by you. When we see important areas where your business can pivot it is our job to bring those decisions to you. With our own experience and knowledge of the situation we can always provide advice and assistance, but we can’t just give you “solutions”. Instead we partner with you on solutions.
We want you to succeed, and you are more likely to succeed when we have all been an integral part of the design process. A client just watches from a distance. A partner builds a product with us, and faces the challenges with us.
Do you have what it takes to partner with us to build your awesome product idea? Call Arin and find out! You can reach Arin at 434-996-5226 or Arin@AgilityFeat.com
