Recently, we’ve noted a growing trend in the market and within our client base—a move away from the linear flow of waterfall project management in favor of the greater flexibility and faster outcomes offered by agile project delivery.
26% of organizations worldwide have adopted agile for IT projects, 37% for software development. And, we’re hearing more interest from clients in implementing agile protocols as part of our new IT Project Solutions offering. When we speak with clients about agile, we like to highlight POD (Product Oriented Delivery) teams when appropriate.
Within the realm of agile methodology, POD teams are emerging as a popular staffing option because of what they offer and how they function. For many IT projects, they are the ideal structure for ensuring high-level expertise that leads to precision results.
The benefits of agile PODs
As economic and market conditions remain in flux, organizations are looking to be more nimble, efficient, and cost effective in their approach to IT projects.
Agile project delivery is more adaptable to scope and timeline changes, and affords greater client control, making it a more desirable methodology than waterfall to address modern business needs.
High-performing POD teams—a form of agile delivery—take these benefits to the next level. PODs are typically comprised of 6-8 team members, including a Scrum Master/Project Lead, Architect, Tech Lead, Developers, and QA support. What separates POD teams from run-of-the mill project teams is their focus on IT specialization.
POD teams are carefully curated talent groups, with specific expertise in a particular end market or domain. Each team member acutely understands the challenges and opportunities within the industry and product line of the IT project, and specializes in the end market which ultimately reduces time to value.
How specific and targeted can an agile POD get? In the financial services industry, for example, organizations can create a POD for projects addressing loyalty, wealth management, payments, currency exchange, HELOC loans, and even niche lines of credit.
Other benefits you gain when using a POD delivery model include:
Expertise. A well-trained, cross-functional team ready to address business needs from day one
Agility. Advanced agile adoption via mature best practices introduced into your environment
Collaboration. Improved collaboration among key business stakeholders
Efficiency. Measurable productivity improvements and faster time to market
Right-sized resourcing. Flexible team size aligned with budget and development needs
Scalability. Ability to scale up or down as needed in real time
Hiring control. Option to permanently hire team after predetermined time
Contract flexibility. Flexible contract options with the ability to cancel anytime
What to expect with POD project delivery: 5 high-level process steps
If you decide to embrace an agile POD delivery model for your next IT project, at a high level you can expect the process to be structured as follows:
The staffing agency you’ve partnered with will provide carefully selected resources for each position within the POD team, ensuring each candidate aligns to your project requirements.
You and your internal team provide guidance as to whether you want the POD team aligned vertically or horizontally within your broader organization.
All onboarding processes (equipment, access, training, etc.) are completed ahead of time. This ensures the POD team is fully functional and operational on day one, regardless of whether they are 100% remote, 100% onsite, or a combination of the two.
To simplify the process, you pay a blended monthly rate for the entirePOD team for the duration of the project.
You have the option to add complementary services (e.g., executive coaching or product management) at any time for an additional cost.
The S.i. Systems value
You might be familiar with our newest service—IT Project Solutions —but you may not realize that we can support an agile POD delivery model as part of that offering.
With our solution, you benefit from a blend of consulting and staffing, delivering the best of both worlds for your IT project without the consulting or risk management overhead.
In addition, you get access to a talent database of 300K+ members, for a geographically broad and industry-versed talent inventory that comes pre-referenced, pre-vetted, and fully experienced in your end market.
Reach out to learn how agile PODs can help you improve internal client satisfaction, IT project productivity, employee engagement, and, ultimately, your bottom line.
