This document discusses how to integrate accessibility into an agile development process. It outlines some common misconceptions, such as that accessibility is extra work or only important for a small number of users. The author details how their company addressed this through education, planning accessibility into sprints and stories, testing for it as part of definition of done, and changing mindsets. The key takeaways are to learn fast through training, deliver accessible features using agile tools, prioritize compliance while being bold, build for all customers, and encourage people learning accessibility.

1. Accessibility In The Agile World
- Poonam Tathavadkar, TurboTax, Intuit Inc.

2. About Me
● Software Engineer -
TurboTax
● Experience - Front
end Web, Mobile
● 2015 - Accessibility
Journey started

3. Agenda
● Key agile concepts
● Misconceptions around Agile and Accessibility -
Derived from personal observations
● Intuit solutions
● Wins

4. Statistics
44%
Includes companies
like Intuit, IBM,
Cisco, Microsoft,
At&t

5. Key Agile Terminologies
● JIRA - agile project management tool that supports any agile
methodology, you can plan, track, and manage all your agile
software development projects from a single tool
● Story - Helps create simplified description of a requirement
● Bug - behavior in a “Done” story that violates valid
expectations of the Product Owner
● Sprint - a sprint is a set period of time during which specific
work has to be completed and made ready for review. Each
sprint begins with a planning meeting.

6. Mindset Blocks
Myth 1
Only number of users
drive prioritization of an
agile feature
Myth 2
Development work DONE
= STORY DONE
Myth 3
Ensuring accessibility
means “extra work”,
adds to story points

8. Education - Brown Bags, Lunch
and Learn

9. ● Knowledge and Awareness
● Scale - Intuit Accessibility Weeks
● Onboarding videos - NCG’s / new employees
● Trainings for all Functional Groups Product
Management, Design, Product
Development/Management - Same Page

11. Awareness : Employee Resource
Groups - Intuit Abilities Network

12. ● Fireside Chat with Customer
● Understand who we are really solving for
● Helps increase awareness and enthusiasm
to work on tasks
● Helps in Prioritization

14. Recognition / Appreciation

15. ● Accessibility Champion Program
● Global Engineering Days - Open
Contributions
Session - Friday, 11th March, Grand G-K,
Sagar Barbhaya

16. Agile Methodologies - How it all
Ties In

17. ● Right tools - JIRA
● Right Processes
● Sprint Planning, Quarterly Planning, Standup,
Product Walkthroughs

18. Quarterly And Sprint Plannings

20. ● Start of prioritization
● Quarter’s Initiatives
● Accessibility as integral a part as security,
performance
● Sprint Planning - Work already planned for,
less resistance in picking up tasks

21. JIRA - How To Write A Story

22. ● Acceptance Criteria - What is the definition
of DONE?
● Include Solution / Explanation in a Bug
● Inspire, Don’t scare

23. Definition of Done -
1. Did you test your feature using keyboard
accessibility? Tab order?
2. Check with designers for color contrast ratios?
3. Meaningful alternate text for all images?
Options being explored - accessibility conformance tool
for consistency in definition of done for stories

24. Product Walkthroughs

25. ● Design Approval
● Product Management Approval
● Training For All Necessary
● Use Bug Bashes For Keyboard Testing

26. New Mindset
New Thought 1
Number of users drive
prioritization of an agile
feature -> All users are
same, Legal and Finance
go hand in hand
New Thought 2
Development work DONE
= STORY DONE ->
Testing for accessibility
extremely important
before you call a story
done
New Thought 3
Ensuring accessibility
means “extra work”, adds
to story points -> Story
cannot be pointed
without considering
accessibility

27. Key Takeaways

28. ● Learn Fast - Specialized Trainings
● Deliver Awesome - Use Agile Tools - Idea, Planning,
Execution
● Be Bold - Compliance is Key - While Prioritizing
● Customer Obsession - Building For All
● Win Together - Encourage, Don’t Scare People Trying To
Learn

29. @poonamst14
Thank You !
Time For Some Question
and Answers !