Process
WIP - This is under review
The following is an overview of our process. The process is made up of two distinct phases each phase is managed by a team with a specific set of skills.
Phases
Shaping & Doing
Shaping is about defining a solution and Doing is about executing that solution.
Origins Shaping & Doing roughly follows a paradigm accreditted to Basecamp.
Our Shaping phase most aligns with Google Ventures Design Sprints mixed with Basecamp practices. But more than anything this phase is what we have found works best for our ecommerce clients.
Our Doing phases are fairly traditional 2 week scrums. Teams are cross-functional and made up for 2 developers, 1 designer, 1 scrum master and an internal product owner who is the teams strategist and marketing executive. The Doing team works in scopes rather than slices.
Why
Shaping
Understand and define the problem, shape the solution to a place where the execution team know what they are, and more importantly and are not, delivering.
Why Shaping ensures that the problem is well understood and an appropriate solution has been determined. It ensures when we sprint ( terrible pun ), we do so in the right direction. We ensure this, by leveraging the most senior members of the team working in concert with the client.
Team The shaping is made up of Directors and senior staff members.
- Technical architect
- UX designer
- Strategist
- Marketing Executive
- Product Owner ( internal, usually another hat worn by a team member )
- SEO specialist
At least one of these team members ( the internal product owner ) will also be on the Doing team.
Deliverables At it's core the sprint & team need to deliver a solution that is clear enough for the Doing team to be productive and not stumble on unanswered questions, but loose enough to allow the Doing team the autonomy to refine the solution based on project progress and team dynamic.
Deliverables that we feel add value and firmly shape the project include:
- Technical Architecture
- Research & Analysis
- UX Flows
- SEO strategy
- Ideas / Features
- Design Direction
These will vary slightly on a project basis. The process is strictly timeboxed so we will focus on the deliverabe that will deliver the most value first.
Once a solution has been Shaped from a problem the Doing team can execute.
Doing
A scope has to be delivered at the end of each sprint. A sprint is a fixed amount of time. A sprint should have flex to cater for slower or faster than anticipated veloctiy.
Why
Team The doing team is made up of Directors and senior staff members, and mid-weight staff. Although we occassionally hire junior staff, they are not billed at full rate until they are at a "mid-level" standard, and prior to that they often pair with a senior member of staff,