Do the words “agile” and “nimble” get used a lot on your campus? Do you find that those words typically translate into “do more of the same things you’re already doing, but faster?” Everyone wants things done faster and cheaper, but the methods for doing so sustainably require changing some deeply ingrained assumptions and habits. In order for changes to be lasting, they need to occur at an organizational level.
One way to make lasting change is to adopt a well-established agile process like SCRUM. SCRUM has been broadly adopted outside of higher education and can count many successes, from countless Internet start-ups to the enormous HealthCare.gov. But does SCRUM work in higher ed?
SCRUM seems straightforward, but any experienced project manager will tell you that there’s a big gap between theory and practice. Paul Schantz’s web development team and CSUN stakeholders have been using SCRUM for about a year. In that time, they went from figuring out how to sell SCRUM to leadership, funding formal training, and using it for real projects. The process hasn’t been easy, and there are definitely some “gotchas” to be aware of. Attend this session to learn what works and what doesn’t work…. You might be surprised about what can accelerate (or trip up) your team.