Warwick
Client Background
The University of Warwick is a public research university, based in the outskirts of Coventry in the West Midlands. The university was founded in 1965 in a government big to expand higher education.
The Project
The University of Warwick, a leading institution in higher education, sought to enhance its student enrolment systems to streamline processes and improve user experience. The Dev Lab, a pioneering tech startup specializing in Agile transformations, was engaged to revitalize the university’s approach to product delivery and software development.
Project Goals
Legacy Processes: The university relied on traditional project management methods, leading to slow delivery and rigid workflows.
Complexity: The student enrolment system required frequent updates and feature enhancements, but legacy technical processes make change cumbersome, posing challenges in managing and delivering evolving requirements.
Scaling Needs: As a large institution, the university needed a framework that could accommodate the scale of its projects and teams.
Project Execution
The Dev Lab introduced a comprehensive Agile transformation strategy, leveraging a combination of Scrum, Lean practices, and a Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) tailored to the university’s specific needs.
Assessment and Planning
The Dev Lab conducted an in-depth assessment of the university’s existing processes, identifying bottlenecks and areas for improvement. Together with university stakeholders, they crafted a roadmap for Agile adoption.
Training and Education
The Dev Lab provided extensive training sessions and workshops to familiarize university staff with Agile principles, practices, and tools.
Team Empowerment
The Dev Lab facilitated the formation of cross-functional Agile teams within the university, empowering them to take ownership of projects and make data-driven decisions. Team members were encouraged to embrace Agile values such as collaboration, adaptability, and continuous improvement.
Implementation of Agile Practices
The Dev Lab guided the university teams in implementing Agile practices such as iterative development, backlog refinement, sprint planning, and daily stand-ups. They also introduced Lean practices to eliminate waste and improve efficiency throughout the development process.
Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) Integration
Recognizing the need for a framework that could support large-scale projects, The Dev Lab introduced elements of the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe). This included establishing Agile Release Trains (ARTs), coordinating multiple teams, and aligning work across the organization.
Benefit realisation
Improved Delivery Speed
By embracing Agile principles, the university experienced significant improvements in delivery speed, with faster release cycles and shorter time-to-market for new features and enhancements.
Enhanced Collaboration
Agile practices fostered greater collaboration and communication among university teams, leading to increased transparency, alignment, and shared understanding of project goals.
Higher Quality Deliverables
Through iterative development and continuous feedback loops, the quality of deliverables improved, resulting in systems that better met the needs and expectations of students and stakeholders.
Scalability and Flexibility
The adoption of the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) across one business unit enabled them to scale Agile practices across teams and accommodate the complexity of large-scale projects, while remaining flexible and adaptable to changing requirements.
Cultural Transformation
Beyond the technical aspects, the Agile transformation initiated a cultural shift within the university, promoting a mindset of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement across different levels of the organization.
Conclusion
Through The Dev Lab’s Agile transformation efforts, The University of Warwick successfully revised its approach to project management and software development, enabling the timely delivery of enhancements and features to its student enrolment systems. By embracing Agile principles, the university not only improved its operational efficiency but also fostered a culture of innovation and adaptability to enable their continued dynamic delivery capability and growth.
Task
to enhance university student enrolment systems to streamline processes and improve user experience