The development of innovative software requires an Agile mindset and the ability to change course and flex on scope when necessary, in a way that minimizes cost and maximizes innovation.
Accordingly, a core principle of Agile software development is the emphasis on embracing changing requirements throughout the process. Many companies have adopted Agile for this very reason – to get faster, more innovative outcomes through real-time market and user feedback.
This requires resource flexibility, scalability, and speed in order to adjust to constantly changing specifications. This combats the key challenge many companies face of finding and scaling necessary software development teams for effective Agile development.
Scrum-as-a-Service is a unique engagement framework for Agile software development that helps clients develop mission critical software with speed, flexibility and efficiency. This approach gives clients easy access to cross-functional teams of experts (also known as Scrum teams) who develop high-quality working software in a way that encourages innovation and maximizes time-to-market.
What does Scrum-as-a-Service provide?
Proven Agile Expertise
Assembling Agile software development teams from scratch is daunting, to say the least. Sourcing experienced Scrum Masters and Agile professionals familiar with the practice’s many nuances (Kanban, Scrum, Lean Agile, Scaled Agile, etc.) can be a challenge. With Scrum-as-a-Service, each team has the necessary Agile skills, experience, and best-practice knowledge required for success. This means that you can bypass the grueling process of spending weeks or months trying to find and assemble the right people and skillsets for the job.
Rapid Scaling
Initially assembling a qualified Scrum team is just the first piece of the puzzle. You need to be able to adjust your approach and flex on scope as work progresses. This means resources and skillsets need to be accommodated as well. A Scrum-as-a-Service approach allows you to easily scale up or scale down teams as required, using just the right mix of technical skillsets and capabilities.
In addition, Scrum-as-a-Service teams are capable of scaling to providing end-to-end life cycle services. These include development, testing, integration, deployment, and support. And whole teams can easily be moved to new projects as company needs arise.
Multidisciplinary Skills On-tap
Of course, Agile development projects require the general expertise of scrum masters, developers, and designers. But that’s just half the battle. Varying demands often require the know-how of highly-specialized experts. The Scrum-as-a-Service model provides you with a customized team based on your specific project requirements. Whether its high-powered UI/UX, data, cloud, AppSec, QA or DevOps, you can assemble the ideal team that’ll drive innovation and speed to market.
Team Chemistry and Continuity
Effective teams must know and trust each other. They also need to figure out each other’s strengths and weaknesses. This generally takes time. A lot of time. Scrum-as-a-Service has the advantage of providing you with experienced Scrum teams that have previously worked together, saving time, and removing friction. As multidisciplinary teams scale and new challenges are tackled, a virtuous cycle of innovative delivery and team engagement is created.
Business Alignment and Ownership of Outcomes
Scrum-as-a-Service is an approach that puts the company and product’s success before everything else. Once hired, Scrum teams become an extension of the client’s company, and team members know they succeed only when the client succeeds. This level of commitment is one of the key differences between Scrum-as-a-Service and traditional contracting. Contractors often limit their efforts to the mere fulfillment of the contract agreement related to basic cost, scope, or service-level parameters. They can fail to see the full picture and often act more like hired mercenaries than team players.
Our Unique Scrum-as-a-Service Model
Sparq provides Scrum-as-a-Service through development centers exclusively located in mid-sized cities throughout Middle America. With an average of 10 years of experience, our Agile software development experts understand U.S. consumer culture and common business practices. They operate within similar time zones as our clients for the real-time collaboration necessary for Agile development.
Sparq’s ability to remotely provide Scrum-as-a-Service at high velocity is unrivaled in onshore software development. More importantly, our clients and case studies back it up. Our co-located Agile teams can deliver 2.5x – 4x the velocity of offshore teams and a 15% – 30% efficiency advantage over onsite contractors.
In addition, Sparq’s Agile development services are structured to meet our clients’ needs wherever they are on their Agile journey. We’re here to help you embrace the Agile development mindset, so modernization, reinvention, and innovation always stay top of mind.
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