Tasneem Adamjee ENTP 6375_WA #4

Pearson SuccessmMaker Case Study July 22, 2018

Case: Pearson’s Successmaker: Transforming product development for Agile processes

(HBS ref number: W11744 from Richard Ivey School of Business)

1. What challenges does Adams-Woodford face as he develops his five-year product

roadmap?

Woodford faced many challenges when he started building his five-year product road map, some

of the challenges are as follows:

 Woodford came at the time when SuccessMaker needed a successful upgrade, and

therefore decided to move from waterfall process to agile process.

o The agile process was focused on short development iterations.

o While waterfall emphasized detailed documentation before the work began.

 After a year of changing the process, SuccessMaker was making headway, but for

Woodford the path moving forward was unclear.

o The development team stumbled upon some issues with the Agile Scrum process.

o Company members felt Kanban would be a better methodology for the product’s

success.

 Kanban: Process that focuses on task management.

o Since Woodford did not have prior experience with Kanban methodology he

stuck with the Scrum method that he advocated for, for the last year.

 Woodford had a challenge whether to extend the methodology within other development

teams for SuccessMaker; implementing new systems would require Woodford to change

structure and culture of the organization.

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Pearson SuccessmMaker Case Study July 22, 2018

o Communication problems would occur when teams use different methodologies

and processes in the same organization for the same product.

 During the budget crisis, transforming products and services for digital platforms was key

for the growth of the organization.

2. A. What benefits did Pearson realize in making the shift from a waterfall process to

an Agile one?

 SuccessMaker clients liked the new features and agreed that Pearson has improved over

the past one year (since the shift was made).

 The code base for SuccessMaker was cut by half.

 Number of features increased by 75%.

 Off shore development teams were eliminated shrinking the size by at least a third.

 The new process helped overcome risks associated with the waterfall process.

 The Agille process allowed for much flexibility in making iterations.

2. B. What downsides might be associated with this shift?

 There was decrease in performance degradation in the velocity of the developers.

 Unable to estimate how many story points they can develop in a planning period.

 Not all groups converted to agile methods, therefore teams struggled with

communication.

 Teams had a hard time shifting from a documentation focused method to a non-

documentation focused process.

 Delivering the working code resulted in role ambiguity and lack of accountability.

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Pearson SuccessmMaker Case Study July 22, 2018

2. C. What firm or market circumstances are more likely to benefit from a Waterfall or

Agile methodology?

 Waterfall:

o It’s a good process when the environment is stable and there are no room for

changes.

o No room for iterations with end users or stakeholders.

o When there is a risk of SMEs and key developers quitting their job.

o When larger company clients require formal approach to the project.

 Agile:

o Project budget is significantly low for this method; it’s a lightweight method that

emphasizes small work areas.

o Process can be useful when customer requirements are unclear or business

environment is uncertain.

o Allows for frequent tests and iterations of the products before launch which is

crucial for the progress of the product (example: usability tests with participants

or releasing beta versions to certain customers for feedback).

o With the constant scope to change and make iterations, highly skilled developers

can even lose its way in the project.

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Pearson SuccessmMaker Case Study July 22, 2018

3. A. What are some of the things Greg should consider as he evaluates whether to continue

to focus on the SuccessMaker product verses becoming involved in the company-wide Agile

initiative?

 Evaluate organization structure: Adopt a product oriented organizational structure that

promotes and focuses on user centered designs.

 Evaluate what process should be best for the organization:

o Bringing the company on one agile process that will improve teams’ interactions and

communications.

o Redefining organization’s structure and culture in order to initiate and implement the

agile process.

 Evaluate organization resources: redefining roles and responsibilities to have a structured

workflow.

3. B. Which approach should Greg pursue?

 Greg should use the Agile approach and define a clear vision and paths for the organization

to make progress, success and move forward.

o This will bring focus and sustain the efforts made in the past year (providing trainings

and learnings for agile processes); changing within a year would lead to losses.

o Having a clear path to immediate next steps and what’s on the roadmap for the future

would be beneficial to set budget, resources and allocate experts appropriately.

o Agile process will allow for customers and stakeholders feedback and expectations to

be heard and emphasized with so as to make the product better and make appropriate

iterations.