This document provides an overview of agile principles and methods for developing digital services. It discusses key aspects of taking a user-centered, agile approach including understanding user needs through research, iterating in short cycles, prioritizing work in a backlog, using cross-functional teams, and gathering feedback through retrospectives. The document also describes a hands-on activity where attendees simulate planning and building features for a virtual village using agile principles over the course of multiple sprints.

1. Developing
digital services
LocalGovDigital
South West Peer Group

2. 09:30: Arrival, tea and coffee (30 mins)
10:00: Introduction (Martin Dainton, Laura Hall)
10;10: Point #1: Understanding user needs
11:30: Point #3: Agile principles and methods
12:00: Break and light snack
12:30: Point #3 (cont’d): Agile principles practical example: Lego game
13:30: Presentation - Matt Prosser, SOLACE
14:00: Finish
Agenda

3. Intro to Unboxed & LoGov

4. Understand user needs.
Research to develop deep knowledge of who the service users are
and what that means for the design of the service.
#1

5. • A first pass at describing your customers
• Light-weight and disposable
• Based on current knowledge and assumptions
• Describes specific personalities not customer “types”
• States problems or pains and potential solutions
• To be validated and iterated upon through research
• Creates empathy within the team
...
Personas

7. Goals. What are they trying to achieve?
Feelings. What does he/she feel and experience?
Needs. What does he/she need to improve the experience?Description. Name, age, job, family, technology,
attitudes, etc.
Quote. What single quote sums up this persona?

8. • One person at a time
• Define interview team roles: lead/support
• Know your goals ahead of time
• Distinguish “What I do” from “what I think”
• Look for things you don’t want to hear
• Disarm politeness
• Ask open ended questions
• Listen, don’t talk
• Encourage but don’t influence
• Say it back
• Ask for introductions
...
Interview tips & tricks

9. Split the room in thirds - interviewers, note-takers and customers.
• 10 mins - Interviewers and note takers pair up, find a customers and interview
them. Note takers give interviewer feedback.
• 10 mins - Note takers become customers, interviewers become customers,
customers become note takers.
• 10 mins - Swap again and final session.
...
Practice interviews
Interviewer Note-taker Customer
Round 1 A B C
Round 2 C A B
Round 3 B C A

10. Create a service using the agile, iterative and user-centred
methods set out in the Government Service Design Manual.
#2

11. Waterfall
Requirements
Design
Code
Test
Documentation
Agile

12. Building incrementally
1 2 3 4 5

13. 1 2 3 4 5
Building iteratively

14. The Agile manifesto
We are uncovering better ways of developing software
by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work
we have come to value:
• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
• Completed functionality over documentation
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
• Responding to change over following a plan
That is, while there is value in the items on the right, the
items on the left matter more.

15. Agile values and principles
Respect
Self organisationSimplicity
Feedback
Communication
Courage
Openness
Commitment Collaboration

16. The team
Product manager
Service manager
Delivery manager
User researcher
Designer
Developer
Domain experts
...

17. The team
• Jointly responsible for delivering the
sprint and the product
• Empowered to make decisions on the
best way to implement the solution
• Empowered to talk to the Product
Owner and Stakeholders
• Committed to delivering what was
agreed in sprint planning
• Cross-functional

18. User stories
As a [role]
I want to [goal or desire]
So that [benefit]
It’s important to include acceptance criteria
and sometimes notes too.

19. The sprint cycle
Sprint
Planning
Backlog
Refinement
Show & Tell
Retrospective
Daily
Stand-ups
Product
Backlog
Potentially
Shippable
Product

20. Phases of an agile project
Discovery
Understanding users
& constraints
Alpha
Building and testing
prototypes
Beta
Building an
end-to-end
service
Live
Continuous
improvements
Problem
or idea
Insights &
opportunities
Validated
concept
Minimum
viable service

21. Lunch break!

22. Putting it
to practice

23. The sprint cycle
Sprint
Planning
Backlog
Refinement
Show & Tell
Retrospective
Daily
Stand-ups
Product
Backlog
Potentially
Shippable
Product

24. Each team is the Town Council for a new-build village. It’s up to you to decide what infrastructure to build to entice as many
Lego people as possible from Lego London and set up home in your village.
In teams you’re going to…
• Build a Product Backlog (buildings = stories)
• Prioritise it
• Build it using scrum

25. Buildings
News stand
Corner shop
Post office
School
Pub
Police station
Town Hall
Chemist
Restaurant
Doctors’ Surgery
Hospital
Hairdresser
Butcher
Coffee Shop
Bus Stop
Vet
Bank
ATM
Supermarket
Market Stalls
Cinema
Nightclub
Post box
Lamp post
Bike Stand
Fire hydrant
Library
Information Board
Train Station
Hotel

26. The ‘stories’ are done when...
• Must have a red roof, door and window
• Should be able to fit at least two Lego people
• Should be built on green Lego grass
+ Acceptance criteria for each individual building

28. What we’re going to do ….
• Generate the backlog
• Add business value (S / M / L / XL)
• Add expected effort (S / M / L / XL)
• Prioritise the backlog
• Sprint 1: Planning, 2x4 minute day sprint (minutes), Sprint, Retrospective
• Sprint 2: Planning, 2x4 minute day sprint (minutes), Sprint, Retrospective
• Sprint 3: Planning, 2x4 minute day sprint (minutes), Sprint

29. Thank you!
www.unboxed.co