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Implementing changes by establishing baseline metrics

case study setup
Situation

Lack of empirical data

Even with the best of intentions, it's difficult to improve software delivery practices without measurable metrics to go on. This enterprise hired Sketch's agile consultants to help them take a more measured approach to software development.

Challenge

Agile transformation for grocery chain

case study challenge

A large grocery store chain’s IT department began an agile transformation.

They needed to understand their baseline measures of agile maturity to identify the team’s and organization’s biggest improvement areas.
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The leadership and teams also needed some coaching to help overcome hurdles to implementing the necessary changes.
Let's get specific

Looking for meaning?

Let's establish metrics you can build change around.
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Enter Sketch

Solution

Agile training, tooling, and pipeline creation

case study solution

A two-person coaching team from Sketch came in to facilitate training, workshops, and coaching for leaders and teams. The primary focus was on key roles such as Scrum Master and Product Owner, but every team across the organization received a full, in-depth assessment.

Agile consulting approach

From there, several sprints worth of coaching provided support with changes including the following:

  • Use GitHub, Jenkins, Docker/Kaniko, and Kubernetes (common enterprise DevOps tools)
  • Use Helm along with Spinnaker for deployment
  • Implement SonarQube to ensure higher code quality, application stability, and security
  • Suggested FNI research and implement a service mesh tool called “Istio” to offer monitoring, logging, tracing (debugging), and complex routing… all without having to modify any application code
One other primary goal was for Sketch to pair with their employees for the creation of this pipeline to facilitate knowledge sharing during the entire process. 
Through this collaborative effort, Sketch and the client chose the simplest of applications to use as the guinea pig proving the success of each stage of the pipeline as it went from build to test to package to deploy.
Agile Enablement Activities
case study results
Results

Faster software delivery

Enterprise-wide agile consulting

Agile knowledge was level-set across the organization with tailored topics relative to the company via boot camps, workshops, and discussions. Teams received guidance to improve their agile practices including baseline data provided via self-assessment toward improving agile maturity. Leaders received guidance toward outcome-based leadership and insight into systemic impediments to the team agile maturity.

CLIENT FEEDBACK

“I have great respect for Sketch’s expertise in the agile coaching space. The coaches are real people with real life experience that reinforces their credibility. They demonstrated flexibility and agility throughout the process - adjusting the approach ‘on the fly’ at times.”

Director, Business Technology Enablement

Grocery chain

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