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Please help me with a case study

Last post 11:07 am December 21, 2023 by Stephen Ugochukwu Iroanusi
2 replies
05:59 pm December 20, 2023

Hi all!

I would like to brainstorm with you about this case. Please help me with your professional expertise and help me learn.

Background The system is owned by HR, but Operations will have to support it to integrate the system with already existing system such as the overall HR system. The HR team is really looking forward to the new system. Especially the team that support recruitment. They have already a list of different things they expected the new system will support. The size of this initiative is Medium, and Specsavers have made it a priority as they have already bought the new system and the other system should be out of service within 1 year. Head of HR and Head of finance are discussing the level of support going forward and the level of changes to the system in the future.

What kind of team would you like to set up to get a full understanding of how to implement this? 

How would you facilitate the information flow going forward?

How would you work to motivate stakeholders and work with influence without authority?

What questions would you ask to understand potential dependencies or blockers?

Would you use any tools to support the work, and if yes which?


10:58 pm December 20, 2023

Well, I'd begin by checking some assumptions.

Firstly, the size of initiative cannot be stated as being Medium, because no team is yet in place to forecast and do the work.

Secondly, buying a new system does not make its implementation a priority. It just makes it a sunk cost and a potential risk.

To move forward with this, I wouldn't really be interested in the questions posed. Rather, I'd be looking for reassurance that this isn't a hole dug by the higher-ups and a face-saving exercise they are now trying to offload onto others.


11:07 am December 21, 2023

Ian's perspective is accurate. Estimations should be made only by those who are directly doing the work, which means labeling the task as 'Medium' could be misleading. Additionally, your current one-year deadline for the entire migration project may not align well with Scrum's incremental integration approach. As the team progresses, they'll likely discover additional integration needs and ways to enhance the system.

To start, I recommend appointing a Product Owner who will collaborate with HR Leads and directors to define the product requirements. Following this, assemble developers to self-organize into a Scrum group, working alongside the Product Owner. Additionally, appoint a Scrum Master to support this team. It's important for the Product Owner to clearly communicate the Product Goal to the team and ensure they have a well-defined 'Definition of Done' before beginning.

Regarding tools, aside from the GitHub where the developers will be doing actual coding, a collaborative platform is essential. Options like Jira or Trello would be suitable choices for this purpose. Wishing you the best of luck with your project!


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