Agile Mindset for Manufacturers: Closing Out an Agile Project

The Action Engineering team embraces an Agile mindset & Scrum practices in our work.
In our Agile articles, we share tips & coaching opportunities that work well for us. 

When finishing projects at work, we often wish they were similar to crossing the finish line of a marathon – expecting to hear thunderous applause from those on the sideline as a race volunteer adorns a victory medal around our neck and we can breathe easy knowing we are done with the race.

All too often this isn’t the case. Typically, closing out a project is like trying to fix a leaky faucet. We try as hard as we can to close it, but it just keeps dripping water. We eventually move on to other projects but keep fielding phone calls about the darn leaky faucet.

One of the strengths of the Agile ceremonies is clear demarcation of the moments of transition so that you have an intentional moment of closure.

There are three key steps when closing out an Agile project:

1. Tying up loose ends & handing over to operations.
2. Reviewing the project.
3. Celebrating!

To ensure the successful transfer of ownership from the Agile team to the operations team, we need to make sure we tie up any loose ends. The scrum boards should be archived, and documentation should be organized. There should be a few meetings with the operations team to walk them through the current project status, any key user stories in the backlog, and how all the information is organized. Then finally, the project is handed from the Agile team to the operations team.

The final review of the project should include a meeting with the stakeholders to review the final scope that was complete, the budget, and the schedule. A final retrospective should be completed as a team to focus on lessons learned.

Celebrating the work of the Agile team is often the step that is glazed over. In the pre-COVID era, I’d suggest organizing a happy hour or bowling or axe throwing – just something out of the office where the team can truly celebrate all of their accomplishments. Since social gatherings just aren’t really a thing right now, we have to get bit creative. You could celebrate via a virtual happy hour, having Grubhub delivered to everyone’s house, or getting shirts made.

Do you need help turning your leaky faucet off so you can celebrate crossing the finish line? Send us a message!