This document discusses how a software development team at uReach Technologies successfully used Agile development practices and the Asana project management tool to manage the development of a mobile app called BusinessCall. The team was initially reluctant to try Agile but it helped solve issues they were facing like missed deadlines, low morale, and poor communication. Asana was selected as the project management tool because it was affordable, flexible, and cloud-based. Using Agile practices and Asana, the team completed the first version of BusinessCall Mobile in 7 months, meeting a trade show deadline and launching the app in the Google Play market.

1. Managing an Agile Mobile App
Development Project with asana
Anthony Monticchio CSM/PMP
uReach Technologies Holmdel, NJ
NJ IPM Day November 1, 2012

2.  Convince a reluctant software development
team to try a new work process called Agile
Development
 Minimal budget available to try something
new
 Resistance to give-up prior work style
 Unwillingness from team members to ‘trust’
the Agile Process and the Scrum Master
Challenge
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3.  Prior Methodology wasn’t working
 Missed Delivery Dates
 Low Team Morale
 Poor Communication
 Dissension amongst team members
 High degree of Software Rework
PM Methodology
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4.  How Agile helped solve the issues
 Missed Delivery Dates
 Time-boxed Sprints resulted in increased productivity
 Low Team Morale
 Team members naturally prefer self-organizing teams
 Poor Communication
 Agile tool creates a transparent information repository
 High degree of Software Rework
 Agile ‘locks-in’ Time and Cost and actively manages
scope via Product Backlog ‘grooming’ by the Owner
PM Methodology
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5.  Why Agile was selected for the ‘BusinessCall’ Mobile
App development project
 Desire to try something new from CTO
 Liked the ‘idea’ of a ‘learning organization’
 Senior leadership risk tolerance was sufficient to get
started
 Intuitively understood the Benefits of a Cross-
Organizational team
 Quickly grasped the power behind the simple Agile
Process
 3 Roles – Product Owner, Scrum Development Team, Scrum
Master
 5 Meeting Types
 5 Process Artifacts
PM Methodology
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6.  Several Tools were reviewed/considered
 ScrumWorks Pro from CollabNet
 BaseCamp from 37signals
 Rational Team Concert from IBM
 asana
Tool Selection
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Product Price Features Technology
Scrum Works Pro $$$ *** ***
Base Camp $$ * **
RTC IBM $$$$$ **** ***
asana $ * ****

7.  Decision to try asana
 Price was right
 asana is sufficiently flexible to adapt to managing an
Agile Project
 asana has been built with the latest technologies
making adoption somewhat easier from the
development community
 For small teams a ‘light-weight’ tool that focuses on
collaboration vs performance measurement is
sufficient
 Cloud-based offering allowed for quick startup and
low maintenance overhead
Tool Selection
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8.  After a brief/streamlined Agile Training course
for the team we quickly moved to establishing
our joint Team Practices
 Meetings will start on-time
 Fine for late comers
 Agreement on Product Ownership
 Defined notation for PBI, User Story, Tasks, Defects
 Meeting frequency
 Show-n-Tell Format for Scrums
 7 person cross-functional team
 3 week Sprints
uReach Agile Practice (UAP)
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9. asana
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10. asana
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11. asana
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12. asana
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13. asana
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14.  BusinessCall Mobile v1.0 was finished in a 7
month timeframe
 Prior project required 12 months to complete with
fewer User Stories
 Shifting requirements were managed with
minimal software rework
 Product Owner was able to have a ‘demo’ version
available for an industry trade show deadline
(Sprint 3)
 BusinessCall Mobile v1.0 (android) Launched
into Google Play market October 2012
Results
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15.  Scrum training required for all roles
 Scrum Master
 Product Owner
 Scrum Development Team
 Resist changing the process
 Agile will uncover problems not solve them
 Product Owner needs be actively involved,
reviewing Sprint results and grooming the PB
Recommendations
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16. BusinessCall Mobile v1.0
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17. Thank you
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NJ IPM Day November 1, 2012