Insights for Organisations
Paul Brown
20.10.20
Could the Agile Pod Delivery Model help your business reach its objectives? Find out more about what Agile Pods are, how they are structured, the key business advantages of using Agile Pods and FDM’s unique approach.
What is an Agile Pod?
An Agile Pod is a small group of self-organising people with a variety of competencies, who work collaboratively on the delivery of a defined product in multiple iterations, following the Agile Scrum framework. Each Pod is made up of a set of complementary skills that are needed for a successful project delivery.
Most Agile Pods are formed of three to nine person teams, with each team member responsible for single tasks and managing parts of the backlog. They are autonomous, cross-functional and highly adaptable teams that provide a flexible approach to problem solving.
Learn more about Agile Pods here – What is Agile Scrum?
Agile Pod Team Structure at FDM
The team structure of FDM Agile Pods typically follows the ‘Build, Deploy, Manage’ model as set out in “The Scrum Guide”, with each Scrum Team formed of a Product Owner, a Scrum Master and a Development Team consisting of our consultants.
The Scrum Master is responsible for ensuring the team upholds agile values and follows the process correctly, as well as mitigating any potential issues that may hinder a timely project delivery.
Advantages of Agile Pods
Alongside speeding up project delivery times and providing greater flexibility, there are numerous other advantages of adopting an Agile Pod Delivery model for businesses. These include:
● Enhanced product focus and attention to detail: Working in a controlled agile environment with a dedicated Scrum Master ensures that each Pod stays focused on achieving its goals and is continuously adapting to meet business objectives.
● Cross functional awareness: Agile Pod team members develop a greater appreciation of how different roles interact with each other and an understanding of other mindsets and perspectives within the team.
● Improved decision making: Pods are assembled based on the specific skills required, which enables the team to become quickly attuned to the strengths of each Pod member and establish an efficient decision-making process early on.
● Faster delivery times: The Agile Pod Delivery Model reduces the time it takes to deliver usable and potentially releasable product increments with real value.
● A collaborative approach: Each Pod develops a relationship with their clients, sponsors and stakeholders to gain a full understanding of what they need, what is important for them and the success of the project in order to create the best possible output.
● A controlled environment for consultant development: The Pod Model provides a ‘fail safe’ environment for new consultants that empowers them to be bold, experiment with new ideas and fail fast, which is key to their development.
● Experienced and adaptable teams: Once Pod members are well-versed and confident following the Agile Pod Delivery Model, they can be deployed swiftly onto new projects or seamlessly integrated into new Scrum teams.
Working with Agile Pods at FDM
Our FDM Agile Pods deliver to our clients through cross-functional teams consisting of blended skills and experiences. We offer our clients the opportunity to attend sprint demos, directly interact with the teams prior to on-boarding, and task the team with projects to enhance the assessment experience. Clients can also choose to discuss projects as an alternative to interviews.
Currently FDM is running a variety of Agile Pods addressing a range of themes and associated application features including:
● Digital – UI/UX, Browser/App Delivery
● Data-centric – Machine Learning and AI
● Data Protection – GDPR and KYC
● Agile Architecture – Cloud, Cyber and TechOps
● Data Modelling and Visualisation
Want to know more about taking on an FDM Agile Pod? Get in touch to speak to one of our experts.
Case Study: Boosting Digital Capability at Companies House