The successful modernisation of the SV Group website particularly highlights the advantages of an agile approach. In an agile project environment, collaboration is key. Customers and suppliers work closely together, from planning to implementation and even beyond. This continuous interaction makes it possible to quickly respond to feedback, make adjustments, and adapt the project as needs evolve. Through regular reviews and feedback during the development process, customers and suppliers work together to ensure that the final product meets expectations and offers the greatest possible benefit. This flexibility and adaptability are crucial factors in being successful in a fast-paced and ever-changing business world.
Our challenges
Before we began developing our latest project – the relaunch of the SV Group website – we identified several challenges that needed to be overcome. The speed of the project was key as we had to finish within three sprints and a fixed budget. The different country websites placed additional requirements on the structure and design of the site. Added to this were the challenges of different languages and translations, which required precise and culturally adapted communication. The design and user-friendliness of the new website also had to meet the highest standards to ensure an optimal user experience.
Partnership
Both parties committed to doing their best to ensure this project's success. We ensured the constant availability of project members on both sides and prioritised the creation of content and translations by the customer. Training editors in Drupal was an essential step in ensuring they could use the new platform effectively. The customer's Product Owner (PO) needed to prioritise testing and completing the in-progress tickets to support the development process. Equally important was training the customer in the agile mindset and Scrum to create a common basis for collaboration. The project sponsor role on the customer side was central to the project's success by ensuring quick and comprehensive support for the project within the customer’s organisation. We agreed to communicate via Slack rather than email for quick and efficient feedback and response time on both sides.
Insightful learnings from our project retrospective
Our retrospective reveals several key insights that influence the success of the project. It proves to be beneficial to conduct the Agile and Scrum training as well as the Drupal training as early as possible before actual development begins. This creates a solid foundation and a common understanding for everyone involved. It is helpful to take a short sprint break in between to give the customer the opportunity to concentrate on content creation and translations. Fully engaged team members on both sides enable fast feedback loops and lead to higher-quality project implementation. A supportive project sponsor on the client side is crucial to avoid wasted time and money and ensure the project progresses smoothly. Open, honest and clear expectation management right from the start helps to avoid misunderstandings and ensure that everyone involved is pursuing the same goals. The faster the customer responds to questions, solves internal problems, tests tickets and gives feedback, the more value you receive for her money. Open communication, real collaboration and a strong team spirit ultimately lead to satisfied and proud customers and Liipers.
Conclusion
By consistently implementing agile principles and practices, we stay on time and within budget, maximise return on investment (ROI), and provide a successful and satisfying experience for everyone involved. The close collaboration and shared commitment of everyone involved create a foundation for long-term success, ensuring the project exceeds expectations and delivers sustainable value.