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Working with external parties

Last post 08:55 am January 15, 2019 by Eugene M
3 replies
12:23 pm January 13, 2019

Hi i am working with an organisation that is fairly new to digital product development. We have some inhouse development but mainly work with external vendors (not just for coding but for other services).

My question is how you can adopt an agile mindset when you are dependent on external parties who work to their own sprints, or deliver in waterfall? This isn't really a SAFE problem i think because the 'delivery teams' belong to lots of different organisations. 

If my question makes no sense i will rewrite in the style of an exam question!

Thanks in advance for any ideas!


07:55 pm January 14, 2019

My question is how you can adopt an agile mindset when you are dependent on external parties who work to their own sprints, or deliver in waterfall?

Why not promote transparency and awareness of such impediments to integration, frequent release, and the establishment of empirical process control? Wouldn’t that be adopting an agile mindset?

My question would be, what do you hope or expect will happen as a result?


09:00 pm January 14, 2019

As @Ian pointed out the key to an "agile mindset" is transparency of information.  Based on that transparency the organization will inspect and adapt accordingly using empiricism as the basis of those decisions.

Agile is not a noun.  It is an adjective meaning "marked by an ability to think quickly; mentally acute or aware" according to dictionary.com.  How do you think that your company could satisfy that definition while depending on the resources you mentioned?  If you can do so while incorporating empirical practices you are being an agile organization.


08:55 am January 15, 2019

While I certainly agree with the advice given by my predecessors, it's worth noting that because you don't control those third parties, the most critical part would be to get them onboard. Their buy-in absent = you can't do much.

Existing contracts may need to be amended, for you can't have a commercial relationship otherwise.

Always keep in mind these values, and see how your own organization is feeling about it. How are the vendors feeling?

Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

Working software over comprehensive documentation

Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

Responding to change over following a plan

You've got a lot of discovery ahead of you.


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