The main purpose of an Agile team is to enable a group of people with a common goal to become both  flexible in the way they work and more adaptable to change. The ideal Agile team is made up of people with different skills who collaborate to build the right solutions and satisfy stakeholder needs. Understanding the roles and responsibilities of an Agile team is still crucial to its success – and we have cracked the code! 

Appsbroker created a unique, balanced and complementary triangle of leadership roles to ensure your Agile team is a success. The key is in keeping the scope “soft” and to focus on “outcomes” rather than “outputs” (PMI). This means the delivery team continuously discovers where the best value is, delivers value iteratively, and fails fast (APM). To achieve this, an Agile framework is necessary, combined with “some” elements of a more conventional project and a contract management approach.

In this article, we’ll explain each role from a layman’s perspective and highlight some essential qualities that lead to success.

What is Triangle Leadership in Agile Projects?

Organisations strive to implement project management best practices that meet both internal objectives and customers’ expectations (PMI). In fact, clients are increasingly prioritising, and expecting, cooperative and transparent project delivery. Not only does Appsbroker’s mission statement support this, we take things to the next level – with internal values of pace, care and excellence.

To achieve this we need practice. Appsbroker has created a balanced approach to Agile management that brings in three complementary roles in Appsbroker’s unique “Purple Leadership Triangle”.

The Purple Triangle connects the roles of Product Manager (PM), Agile Delivery Consultant (ADC) and Tech Lead (TL).

  • Project Manager (PM) – In the broadest sense, Project Managers are accountable for the successful kickoff and delivery of projects in accordance with the Statement of Work. They are responsible for project governance, including budget management, resource allocations and risk management. The role also requires a strategic business mindset, as they will  be the main contact point for our customers and the person responsible for managing their expectations.
  • Agile Delivery Consultant (ADC) – As mentioned in our previous post Why is an Agile Delivery Consultant needed in projects?, an Agile Delivery Consultant assists in making project teams more productive and focused. They bring in 3 roles: Qualified Business Analyst, Certified Scrum Master and proxy Product Owner, whilst also offering coaching and consultancy. They save time and resources by enabling development teams to identify and correct problems quickly, facilitating communication and reducing project risk.
  • Tech Lead (TL) – Tech Leads manage the development team, offering guidance from an extensive technical background. They are specialists that coach and motivate other members, help resolve technical uncertainty, and support task assignment decisions. They build a bridge between the (technical) team and (very often non-technical) clients. Tech Leads are empowered to lead the conversion of requirements into value, and to share knowledge both inside and outside their team.

How does Appsbroker (our customers) benefit from it?

Simply put, our unique and Agile Purple Leadership Triangle strives to deliver the best outcomes possible for the client, maximising the value of the project within the constraints of the well-defined times and budgets that most B2B service delivery contracts necessitate. This means maintaining clarity, control, visibility and adaptability, without compromising on the promise for care, pace, excellence and successful outcomes.

To achieve all this it’s necessary to understand, track and control the budget and time to completion. That’s where the PM is essential. The ADC focuses on maximising the value of work and supports leadership with risk management. They also offer consultancy to the client’s main point of contact – i.e. the PO – and take care of SM responsibilities for facilitating the Agile delivery of the work. They also ensure a high standard and quality of work, as well as supporting the coordination amongst the technical developers to provide successful outcomes. This setup reassures the client that they will receive the best end result possible,  and that the project is completed on time and within their budget..

Working in an Agile way means you don’t start with a full-blown, highly detailed plan. This is where the waterfall approach falls short; the success rate for delivering on time and within budget is limited (especially in software and complex development). With an Agile approach, you start with a vision and continuously “discover” what stakeholders identify as value. Then you work your way in defining the requirements that form your product backlog – the true source for deliverable work, ordered by value. 

Final Thoughts 

Our Leadership Triangle brings a suite of benefits to our Agile-run projects. Perhaps the most important of these is that it helps us deliver projects with more collaboration and accuracy. One of our company values is “Care”. This means we are fair, open and honest with each other and our customers. The Appsbroker Purple Leadership Triangle supports this value, reflecting our desire to delight our customers and to take ownership of everything we do. We believe this is reflective of how an ideal Agile team would function.

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