Feature Sprint Phase

This article provides an overview of the Feature Sprint phase in the Sprints section of the SA Knowledge Base. It highlights the standard duration of sprints (3 weeks) and the maximum number of sprints in a project (4).

Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of following good agile practices, such as daily calls, sprint demos, and maintaining a lean initial scope without changes. It also stresses the need to escalate delays in customer testing to the Steering Committee level.

These are the key points for the Feature Sprint:

• 3 weeks sprints as the standard, and max 4 sprints in the project.

• Following the same good practices for agile software development.

• Strong focus on keeping initial scope lean and without changes.

• Delays in customer testing should be strong indication to escalations on Steering Committee level.

Disciplined Sprint Structure of Prescriptive Delivery

The Prescriptive Delivery methodology employed by Pricefx adheres to a structured sprint-based approach, with the standard duration for each sprint being 3 weeks. This consistent cadence of 3-week sprints helps to maintain a steady pace of development and ensure timely delivery of project milestones.

Furthermore, the methodology recommends a maximum of 4 sprints within the overall project timeline. This cap on the number of sprints serves to keep the project scope and implementation timeline focused and manageable, preventing scope creep and excessive delays.

By establishing these guidelines for sprint duration and quantity, the Prescriptive Delivery approach provides a well-defined framework that balances the need for agility and flexibility with the necessity of keeping the project on track and within predefined parameters. This disciplined sprint structure, combined with other agile best practices, enables the project team to deliver incremental value to the customer in a predictable and efficient manner.

Embracing Agile Best Practices for Solution Implementation

Pricefx's Prescriptive Delivery methodology aligns closely with the proven best practices of agile software development. By adhering to these well-established agile principles and practices, the project team is able to foster a collaborative, iterative, and responsive approach to implementing the Pricefx solution.

This commitment to agile methodologies is evident throughout the Prescriptive Delivery process. The project team regularly engages in daily stand-up meetings, enabling frequent communication, transparency, and the identification of any roadblocks or dependencies. Sprint demonstrations are conducted at the end of each 3-week sprint, allowing the customer to provide direct feedback and validate the incremental progress made.

By embracing the time-tested practices of agile software development, the Prescriptive Delivery methodology enables the Pricefx project team to leverage the benefits of increased collaboration, responsiveness, and customer engagement. This strategic alignment with agile principles helps to drive the successful and efficient implementation of the Pricefx solution.

Laser-Focused Scoping for Efficient, Agile Implementation

A key tenet of Pricefx's Prescriptive Delivery methodology is the strong emphasis on maintaining a lean and focused initial project scope. The project team dedicates considerable effort to carefully defining and scoping the Pricefx implementation, ensuring that the initial plan encompasses only the most critical and high-value functionality required by the customer.

This disciplined approach to scope management is a central pillar of the Prescriptive Delivery process. The project team works closely with the customer to thoroughly assess their needs and priorities, distilling them into a lean set of requirements that can be delivered efficiently and effectively. Strict controls are put in place to prevent scope creep, with a strong focus on avoiding unnecessary changes or additions to the initial project plan.

By keeping the initial scope lean and tightly managed, the Prescriptive Delivery methodology enables the project team to remain agile and responsive throughout the implementation process. This disciplined scoping exercise ensures that development efforts are laser-focused on delivering the most critical functionality, without getting bogged down by lower-priority or tangential requirements.

Vigilant Monitoring and Escalation for Successful Implementation

The Prescriptive Delivery methodology places a strong emphasis on the timely completion of customer testing activities. Any delays or issues encountered during this critical phase of the implementation process are viewed as a strong indication that the project may be facing potential challenges that require escalation and intervention at the highest levels.

When the Pricefx project team observes delays or roadblocks in the customer's testing efforts, this serves as an early warning signal that the overall implementation timeline may be at risk. Such delays could be caused by a variety of factors, such as unresolved technical issues, changing customer requirements, or a lack of necessary resources or expertise within the customer's organization.

In response to these delays, the Prescriptive Delivery approach mandates that the project team immediately escalate the situation to the Steering Committee. This high-level governance body, typically composed of key stakeholders from both the Pricefx team and the customer's organization, is responsible for providing strategic oversight and making critical decisions that can impact the success of the implementation.

By elevating delays in customer testing to the Steering Committee level, the Prescriptive Delivery methodology ensures that any emerging risks or challenges are addressed in a timely and proactive manner. The Steering Committee can then assess the root causes of the delays, identify appropriate mitigation strategies, and make informed decisions to get the project back on track, ultimately safeguarding the successful and timely rollout of the Pricefx solution.