The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/67910
Feedback comes in both retrospective views of past iterations as well as forward views of future iterations. Reviewing what has been done is critical to ensure that the solution delivered with each iteration improves on the existing features. It also ensures proper focus when delivering new features. The new features are selected directly from the top of a continually refined priority list, commonly referred to as a "backlog." Through management of the items in the backlog and their relative priorities, each new iteration will always focus on what is most important. This more refined focus versus a lengthy plan is a drastic departure from the traditional development approach. Benefits of an Agile Approach Change is occurring faster now for law firms and their clients. They no longer have the luxury of making huge investments in "heavy" methodologies and taking years to roll out a system that can't easily be changed. They need to adopt project development best practices that deliver business value, eliminate costly upfront design/ documentation efforts and create systems that adapt easily to changing requirements. This can be achieved by adopting an agile approach to solution development. Successful projects can be measured by scope, time and budget. Engaging a provider who follows an agile development practice has direct benefits to achieving success. Managing priorities directly correlates to scope. Features imagined as necessary at the beginning of a project may not be included at completion. This is acceptable and preferred because the completed features have been identified during the course of the development process as most important to the business. Change is inevitable and, with feedback driving priorities, an agile approach can thrive during any degree of change. Each iteration has a preset duration, commonly two to three weeks, and a preset list of resources. Because both duration and resources are fixed for any single iteration, the scope of features for the iteration is also predetermined. Features selected for completion in each iteration must be realistic for the given time and budget. This is referred to as the "capacity" of the iteration. As a project progresses, more resources or time might need to be added to an iteration. This increases the capacity for a given iteration, but it also increases the budget. The incremental nature of completing and adjusting iterations results in a project that can be easily monitored in terms of the success measurements: scope, time and budget. This ultimately keeps the project owners in control, setting the priorities for what is to be done, for how long and at what cost. An agile methodology can help focus your projects on business value, expecting and managing change, and gaining greater control over your projects; and these are great reasons to be knowledgeable about your solution provider's practices. Your firm can be an integral part of those practices throughout. And although success can never be guaranteed, your firm can greatly increase the prospects of success when armed with these practices and careful monitoring. Peer to Peer 13