Succeed in your web projects with the Agile and Scrum method

In web agencies or IT teams, you sometimes hear funny words like "Agile," "Scrum," or "Sprints" (not to be confused with a spritz—believe me, misunderstandings happen quickly). Behind this mysterious jargon hides a working method essential for the success of a web project.

Project management, a matter of philosophy

The Agile method is a project management philosophy. It emphasizes continuous improvement, efficiency, and team autonomy.

This method emerged in response to the high failure rates of software development projects caused by the rigidity of traditional methods. Practiced since the 1990s, it was formalized in 2001 with the creation of the Manifesto for Agile Software Development. This manifesto prioritizes:

• Individuals and their interactions over processes and tools.
• Working software over comprehensive documentation.
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation.
• Responding to change over following a plan.

Even Socrates couldn’t have said it better.

Do you speak Scrum?

Careful—it’s easy to get mixed up here! Scrum is a set of processes that helps teams put the Agile method into practice. It’s an empirical process based on three pillars: transparency, inspection, and adaptation. Scrum means “scrum” (as in rugby), a play where players band together to get the ball past the try line, passing it back and forth—a metaphor that sums up the Scrum approach nicely.

These processes have proven effective in managing our web projects with Drupal. More specifically, we handle complex projects, sometimes lengthy ones, that can take many forms: business applications, information systems, intranets, e-learning platforms, public transport platforms, and more.

Applying the Scrum method requires the client to be ready to embrace budget flexibility. Yet, we’re bound by fixed scopes and budgets. So, we implement a tailored version of Scrum: we keep the organizational framework, but adapt it to our constraints. Our goal is above all to be flexible, which explains our fondness for the Agile philosophy and our desire to get closer to the Scrum method. We discussed this in a previous article.

The key stages of a web project

Web projects generally involve five phases:

• UX design: benchmarking, user needs analysis, defining user journeys, suggesting an information structure, zoning, wireframing.
• Interface design or UI design: defining the artistic direction, creating graphic mockups for desktop and mobile.
• Development: technical specifications, development, migration, deployment in pre-production.
• Testing and launch.
• Monitoring: analyzing the first usages of the site and providing recommendations.

Applying Scrum to Drupal web projects

Throughout all these phases, the Scrum method is a valuable tool for delivering continuously and on time.

1. Building the “Backlog”

In consultation with the client, our project manager formalizes the features of the final product—think of it as the project specifications. This is the basis for building a “Backlog,” a prioritized list of tasks according to importance. This backlog is stored on Redmine, our open-source project management tool. Redmine makes it possible to list these tasks, assign priority levels, delegate tasks to individuals, comment under each task, log hours worked, and more.

This backlog is available to everyone (internal teams and clients). This principle of transparency is inherent to the Scrum method.

2. Defining and carrying out sprints

Sprint is an English word meaning a short, high-intensity race. Here, the rugby metaphor continues.

Sprints are the heart of the Scrum method. Teams complete a batch of backlog tasks within a set timeframe. For us, that's two weeks. Breaking the work into sprints allows us to spread out testing and ensures quick, regular deliveries.

3. Project and steering committees

Sprints are kicked off and closed by project committees (coproj), which include at a minimum the client and the project manager. Here, we review completed work and plan the next sprint.

As needed, steering committees are also held during the project. They involve project directors and serve for arbitration and official approvals.

All committee meetings are documented, and the reports are available on Redmine, our project control center.

Regularly inspecting, adjusting, and redefining things is the key to keeping a project on track. It reduces the number of meetings and allows teams to work autonomously the rest of the time.

4. Daily internal team follow-up

Quick internal meetings are held daily (20 minutes max) with the project teams to reaffirm priorities and identify problems. These issues are then dealt with in smaller groups.

5. Continuous optimization

The site launch doesn't mean the project is finished! After that, we audit the site and user behavior and give recommendations that can be implemented continuously.

For more details on the Scrum method, check out the Scrum guide—the industry reference.

To sum up, Scrum is a highly empirical approach. Decisions are based on experience and observing reality: user needs, technical constraints, budget, etc. It’s an inherently iterative and incremental process. This approach clashes somewhat with public procurement logic, where the entire specifications document must be created up front, with no prior discussion with the provider. This gap is common; we've even factored it into our work method with public organizations.

An effective and well-honed methodology is essential for the completion and success of a web project. It’s undeniably something to consider when choosing your web agency. For more information about our method and our expertise in digital projects with Drupal, contact us!

Bonus: a quick guide to your web agency's jargon

• Scrum: English word meaning "scrum" (as in rugby)
• Coproj: project committee
• Copil: steering committee
• Sprints: an English word referring to a short, fast race
• Backlog: a list of features to develop for a web project

You're welcome ;)