Work flow: Out-Sourcing Assignment – Project initiation
The Agile work flow help to understand flow of information, artifacts and activities required during between Client and Vendor(s).
- Deploy and use Agile management tool (ex: VSTS)
- Capture requirements into Product backlog and prioritize; start with epics at-least.
- Share the product backlog to Out-sourcing vendor for High level estimation/cost and release plan.
- When release date is fixed, then scope will be flexible based on product backlog prioritized items.
- Client Product Owner should conduct at-least one high-level requirement grooming session with vendor team.
- Questions and Clarifications to understand the complexity and amount of work involved.
- Client and Out-sourcing vendor discuss the estimation/cost and release plan;
- Ensure both parties agree to include UAT part of the contract scope.
- As per the shared & agreed release plan, Out-sourcing vendor on-boards the resources and prepares for the project start.
- Project Kick of Meeting: Handshake of distributed Team pattern (refer my posts related to team patterns), select the metrics, discuss any dependencies…etc.;
- Assignment /Statement of Work Sign-off.
- Now project is ready for first Iteration.
Given the element provided, discussed and estimated during Iteration 0 ( Product vision, high level requirement & backlog, first prioritization), adequate delivery capacity (team size + number of sprints) is agreed. The issued SOW represent an engagement on this fixed time box.
During the course of Iteration delivery, if a significant change in the vision occur, or if it appears that the velocity and prioritization (choice of scope element to be delivered first) will not bring enough business value, then a formal process will have to be initiated to update/amend Statement of Work (SOW), to reduce or extend the agreed fixed capacity.