6 minutes read
The reality of technology projects is often marked by significant challenges in terms of budget, time, and value delivered. According to a 4mation survey, about 45% of large IT projects exceed the budget, only 44% deliver the expected value, and 7% exceed the estimated time.
Furthermore, the rigidity of closed scope projects often results in solutions that technically fulfill the contract, but fail to add real value to the business due to lack of flexibility to adapt to new learnings and changes that arise during development.
To overcome these challenges, at BossaBox, we place special focus on adaptability. We proactively adjust the size and composition of our Squads so that they can respond with agility to different project phases or market fluctuations. This not only improves resource allocation efficiency, but also maintains delivery speed and quality, ensuring that projects truly meet business and client needs.
Dealing with demand variations and rapid team adaptation in practice
Because we understand that tech projects are inherently unpredictable, we adopt a robust project management approach: the Iron Triangle Theory.
This theory addresses the three main constraints that impact any project: Budget, Scope, and Schedule. These constraints are so interrelated that changing one can affect the others, directly influencing project quality. These are established from the outset, in the project mandate documents, where we clearly define our objectives. As the project progresses, each decision made regarding these constraints can either improve or compromise our results.
Imagine, for example, that we are working on the launch of a new IT system and encounter an unexpected problem during the design phase, which is taking longer than anticipated. At this point, we have three main options:
Extend the schedule: It may not be ideal for stakeholders, as it delays the launch and can increase labor costs, but it maintains the quality of the final product.
Replan the project: Maintaining the original deadline may increase the risk of failures, especially if we choose to skip important steps such as testing and training, which can compromise quality and increase costs.
Change the scope: Simplify or modify some elements of the project to keep it within the schedule and budget, which may reduce the scope of the original objectives and potentially increase future costs if we decide to reintroduce these elements.
At BossaBox, we handle these situations with a collaborative and flexible approach. Alongside our clients, we continuously review the scope through regular Sprints, adapting the project to align any deviations with business goals. This flexibility is crucial not only to achieve delivery objectives, but also to ensure that we can make adjustments without compromising quality.
Our projects are structured to start with a solid foundation of agreed-upon resources, but are always open to well-informed adjustments. This methodology not only protects delivery quality, but also ensures that decisions made are most suitable for each specific situation, balancing the constraints of the Iron Triangle to achieve the best possible result.
How do we ensure this adaptability and flexibility?
At BossaBox, we understand that flexibility and adaptability are essential for the success of our clients' projects. Therefore, we design squads to efficiently respond to project demand fluctuations. How do we do this?
Contractual flexibility: Our contracts with professionals are designed to allow agile reallocation and replacement. This means that we can quickly adapt our workforce to project needs, without loss of time or compromise of quality.
Perennial account management: We maintain a constant account management structure, which does not vary with the scope of work. This allows us to preserve context and accumulated intellectual capital throughout the project, ensuring continuity and deep understanding of the client's needs.
Reporting and documentation model: We have developed a documentation system that facilitates contextualization for new team members. This is crucial for smooth team transitions and effective contribution, without delays.
Onboarding processes and Ramp-Up SLA: We have implemented a structured onboarding process, accompanied by a ramp-up SLA, following the guidelines of DORA (DevOps Research and Assessment). This ensures that new members are quickly trained and ready to contribute to the project.
Professional backlog: We maintain a backlog of qualified professionals ready to take action. This allows us to be proactive and prepared for any change, whether it's a new position or a change in client strategy. As soon as we identify a potential need for change, we already have action plans ready to be executed.
The advantages of squads and a flexible scope
Throughout our journey, we have learned that team flexibility is crucial not only for efficiency, but also for delivering impactful results for our clients. Adapting team structure to the dynamic needs of each project brings several benefits, the main ones are:
Overhead reduction: Avoids the accumulation of costs with inactive personnel, adjusting the team composition as necessary.
Rapid adaptation: Enables the team to quickly adapt to changes in project scope or requirements, maintaining agility.
Cost efficiency: Ensures that resources are allocated efficiently, avoiding excessive spending and improving project budget.
Risk reduction: Reduces the risks associated with hiring and maintaining teams for projects with uncertain outcomes or durations.
Operational agility increase: Facilitates reallocation and resource adjustments, ensuring that the project remains aligned with business strategic priorities.
Maximization of added value: Ensures that each personnel allocation decision directly contributes to the overall project value, adapting to current needs without sacrificing long-term goals.
These advantages demonstrate how a flexible team strategy not only sustains efficient project execution, but also strengthens the company's ability to respond to market changes, maximizing the effectiveness of deliveries.
Balancing collaboration between internal and external teams
At BossaBox, effective collaboration between the internal team and external professionals is essential to ensure effective integration and high-quality results in our projects.
To achieve this goal, we have developed a structured approach that involves clear definition of roles and responsibilities, implementation of synchronous ceremonies, and continuous monitoring surveys. These elements are essential to efficiently coordinate all interactions and ensure productive collaboration among all involved.
Key practices to ensure effective collaboration:
Definition of roles and responsibilities: We use the RACI matrix to clarify who is responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed in each aspect of the project. This ensures that everyone knows exactly their roles, reducing overlaps and gaps in task distribution.
Synchronous Ceremonies:
Immersion - We work together with internal stakeholders to absorb essential knowledge, preparing our team for project challenges.
Planning - We organize sprint planning sessions, where priorities are set in collaboration.
Review - Regular moments for the internal team to assess deliveries, ensuring that everything is aligned with expectations.
Retrospective - Meetings to reflect on team performance and project progress, allowing continuous adjustments to improve results.
Monitoring Surveys: We implement tools like Healthcheck and DevResearch for continuous qualitative assessments. These surveys help identify productivity bottlenecks and behavioral issues, enabling the development of action plans to optimize team effectiveness.
These strategies are crucial not only to keep everyone aligned and informed, but also to adapt to project dynamics and promptly respond to any challenges.