Situation
Valcon’s client, a global retailer, wanted to be able to deliver new and exciting products and experiences to a greater number of customers, but was constrained by its old processes and systems. In this increasingly competitive retail landscape, it wanted to adopt a more modern approach to help it maximise opportunities with customers.
Due to the continuing success of the firm’s numerous brands, there was the pressure to ensure the firm could cope with increased demand, which presented a challenge to delivery teams. The US parent company had directed all its portfolio businesses to transition to a scaled agile (SAFe) way of working and our client needed help to adopt these practices.
Approach
Valcon UK was selected due to its expertise in project and programme delivery and deep knowledge of SAFe methodologies. Valcon partnered with the client to transition the UK production and online delivery teams to SAFe, initially ensuring the pace of change, training and adoption was right for the transition.
Valcon provided specialist support so the team had the right balance of capacity, capability and experience. Valcon also supported knowledge transfer and upskilling, working with senior client stakeholders and their delivery teams, which included other third parties.
Valcon supported the new intake process, which had been redesigned when the transition to SAFe had taken place, by prioritising using WSJF techniques, assessing business cases and running weekly demand reviews to analyse new requests.
Valcon continues to work closely with the client, maintaining a continuous improvement mindset and ensuring our consultants are trained in a multitude of delivery methodologies, including SAFe, to ensure we are up to date with industry best practice. This helps us to deliver incremental improvements that drive value across the organisation.
Results
- Increase in focus and velocity: within two months, Valcon had re-organised the delivery teams into product teams, resulting in a sharper focus and a quicker way of working.
- SAFe trained: within three months, Valcon had successfully co-ordinated SAFe training for all UK team members.
- Business buy-in: within three months, Valcon had delivered the first programme increment (PI) planning event attended by senior representatives within the UK online team, resulting in sign off on the roadmap.
- Stamp of approval: within nine months, the UK business was recognised as ‘exemplary’ by the US portfolio team for the excellent standard of SAFe ways of working, cadence, prioritisation and reporting the team had achieved.
