AsileSparks believes in a result-oriented approach and has proven experience in breaking the "glass ceiling" of organizational improvement. We view our clients as partners in the Agile adoption process and aspire to include an ROI-based pricing model in all of our activities, to ensure the commitment and result-oriented approach of both sides.

Looking at the process from holistic point of view, we offer a set of implementation modules and services that cover all organizational aspects that enable transforming the entire organization (or teams) into Agile mindsets and practices: executives' buy-in workshops, HR and management workshops and consulting, team coaching and Agile engineering practices (XP).

We work hand-in-hand with our customers to understand the specific business needs and constrains and to define the required KPI and outline a time-boxed plan to achieve them.

A typical implementation package consists of two phases.

Phase one - Agile boost - around 3 months 

Going agile through Scrum involves high levels of organizational change and requires crucial executive support to be sustainable and successful. This is because Scrum surfaces organizational dysfunctions that are a barrier to agile progress and it does so very quickly from adoption. To mitigate any negative impact of these changes and to maximize organizational support, awareness raising in the organization is achieved through workshops and seminars, tailored and facilitated for primary and secondary stakeholders in the organization.

This phase creates the required mindset shifting of the organization and provides teams with the necessary education, mentoring and guidance to become hyper-productive, self-sufficient, Agile.

Preparations and organizational support raising:

• - Existing lifecycle, challenges and constrains analysis as a basis for the change management plan.
  • - Product Owners workshop - training the product managers with their new role in Scrum.
  • - Product backlog creation and release planning coaching - creating the backlog.
  • - Certified Scrum Master Workshops and tailored seminars (for the entire organization, up to 30 participants per workshop).

At the end of the preparation phase the teams and the organization have the right knowledge, mind-set and enthusiasm to leave their comfort zone to a new era.  

Sprints support (typically 3-4 sprints):

Supporting and coaching all Scrum ceremonies - Sprint Planning, sprint execution, sprint review and retrospective.

Sprint execution coaching

• - On-site Scrum Team coaching - the intensive on-site coaching goal is to create an intensive and immersed Scrum environment to enable all the Scrum roles to start working quickly (and respond to any issues that arise). Following around a month of intensive on-site coaching the external coaching is scaled down and the mentored internal coaching are ramped up. This will improve the internalization of good agile practice and ensure creation of an independently sustainable agile process.
• - Scrum Master Phone/e-mail support throughout the first phase - Scrum Masters will be supported by phone/e-mail, with ongoing availability on a daily basis to support and solve any concern.

• - Backlog management coaching - support the teams and the product owner(s) to ensure high quality backlog.

ScrumScan

At the end of the first phase a ScrumScan will be conducted by an external AgileSparks coacher. ScrumScan's results will allow management to review the gaps and potential improvements in the way Scrum was implemented. 

Phase two - Advanced Agile

Following the ScrumScan results and the maturity level reached, the organization will be exposed to advanced Scrum techniques and XP practices.

A special focus will be put on continuous integration's efficiency, TDD and testing approaches, as well as an advanced Scrum Master course that will allow Scrum Masters to gain more skills and advanced insights that will improve their field support and allow the organization to improve and increase the benefits from Agile/Scrum.

The entire package can be tailored as needed.