Maintaining agility in your software development team is one of the great challenges for project managers. This is because, one of the most efficient ways to fulfill your objectives is to implement agile methodologies in your technology team, increasing the success rate with the customer at the time of the final delivery of the product.
However, there are some actions that can be taken to improve the team’s agility during the project’s progress. Tips like being attentive to communication, knowing how to recognize the work of professionals and even managing your time in meetings can help you in times of stagnation. Because of this, we have prepared an article that details these and other very important tips. Check it out below.
The importance of using agile methodologies
The agile methodology, also called Agile, is nothing more than an alternative to perform functions more quickly within the development of projects. The basis of this methodology is the value that the product will provide to the customer and the relationship of all the people who are involved in the project (customers, developers, …).
The projects that are managed through the agile methodology are developed through incremental deliveries, which means that in each delivery made to the customer, one or more features of the software are developed and not the software all at once. With this, the works are divided into stages, which after being finalized are sent to the client, and based on their feedback, it is possible to improve what has been done and what will be done.
One of the main benefits is related to the working method, which becomes much more effective and easier to be carried out because it is done by software functionality. This methodology has several advantages within the area of information technology. Some that we can mention are related to improved communication, a more assertive definition of the final goal and customer satisfaction, since any errors, changes or improvements that are necessary throughout the project will be made during the process, making the customer don’t get frustrated at the end of it.
What can I do to keep my team agile?
Know how to recognize your team’s work
The first tip on how to keep your team working in an agile way is knowing how to recognize your team’s achievements. The great reason for this is that with the daily recognition of the functions performed, the professional feels much more motivated to continue doing his job more efficiently.
This is what a study by Qualtrics points out. According to the survey, employees who claim that their leaders regularly recognize their work are 5 times more likely to remain working at the company in question.
In addition, monitoring managers in more complicated tasks, in which the developer may have difficulties, brings a feeling of teamwork and does not demotivate him easily.
Avoid expendable meetings
Another attitude that can be taken in order to achieve agility in production is to avoid meetings that could be waived. That way, your development team can focus much more on the project’s progress than requiring extra time in unnecessary meetings. Because of this, present the existing problems in the company in a meeting, seek solutions from your team and define how the steps will be taken to meet these demands.
After that, it is recommended that the next meeting is not scheduled until all problems are resolved. In this way, you prevent the previous issues from going on too long in future meetings.
This can also be objective since many development teams can work in a very close way, further reducing the need to demand time to focus on these meetings. Groups that really work together as teams do not need this since problems are addressed as they arise.
Create opportunities, but don’t delegate them at first
One strategy that can work in your development team is not to assign extra work to the professionals, but to let them call the responsibility to you. Assigning work can generate resentment and discontent among your team’s professionals, in addition to fostering the perception that some receive favorable treatment. So, resist the temptation to assign a project’s progress to your favorite members and who else you can trust.
All of this can greatly compromise your team’s agility. A good solution to this problem is to ask for volunteers in the development of the necessary functions, as this way the professional is even more aware and committed to performing efficiently what was requested.
In addition, team members will remain engaged if they have a chance to differentiate themselves by doing good work, further increasing the strength of your team as a whole. However, if you encounter problems of insecurity of these professionals in calling the responsibility, delegate the functions and follow up closely so that the developer feels that he is working together with the company’s leadership.
Learn to listen and watch your team
Knowing how to listen and observe your technology team can increase the agility of the team as a whole. As in most companies, communication is essential for short and long-term success. The goal is to build trust so that you can keep the team productive, interested and engaged in creating the best possible software, so learn to listen to the negative and positive points that professionals can pass as critical feedback. In addition, some developers may suppress these dissatisfactions and you need to be able to observe when this happens.
Simple and honest approaches work well to keep agile teams focused and effective. You may not always be able to control changes, but these basic techniques will help you as you continue to increase your team’s confidence and productivity.
