Summary
Challenge: Our client needed to improve delivery predictability and management reporting across its software development teams. Working practices were fragmented and the existing Jira configuration was becoming unusable.
Solution: We delivered a comprehensive operating model redesign, providing a re-engineered Jira instance for greater visibility and enabling standardised ways of working. Our solution included 3 x new custom Rovo AI agents. We overcame resistance to change with bespoke training sessions and workshops.
Outcome: With a redesigned Jira, powerful AI Agents, unified Agile ways of working, and improved visibility across teams and senior stakeholders, our client will benefit from increased time efficiencies, greater delivery predictability and enhanced reporting.
Background
Discover how we transformed the way a national public health body plans, tracks and reports on its work, with new working practices, a simplified and re-engineered Jira instance, and 3 new custom Rovo AI Agents.
Challenge
Our client came to us because it wanted to improve the way its development teams were operating.
Specifically, engineering managers wanted better delivery predictability and management reporting. It was felt that Jira could provide the platform but that its current use and different configurations across teams were restricting these improvements.
When we met our client, the teams’ Jira Cloud configuration was close to becoming unusable. With empty projects, scattered workflows and irregular mapping, it was difficult for the teams to accurately estimate or prioritise work, and near-impossible for senior stakeholders to understand the progress of tasks or alignment to overarching goals.
Alongside this, teams on the ground were all working in a range of different ways. Some were using core Scrum practices, like Sprints, but without clear roles (like a Scrum Master) or effective tracking in Jira, whilst others took a completely different approach. As team members moved between teams, these inconsistencies grew further.
It was time to standardise the way the software engineering function was operating, and align the Jira configuration and use of Rovo to support the teams.
Solution
Much of the success of this project hinged on designing a functional way of working then supporting and training teams on the ground – alongside overcoming an understandable wariness around change.
Process diagnostic and use of Jira evaluation
We began by conducting a series of interviews with engineering management, and workshops with development teams, to understand their differing approaches to development.
In parallel, we conducted an assessment of the existing Jira configuration. To demonstrate why this work was so important, we showcased how challenging it was to plan and track work with the current set-up.
Operating model redesign
We suggested a harmonised development approach to be used by all engineering teams. We walked through the new approach with senior stakeholders who agreed to the adaptations we suggested.
Our proposal was to use a ScrumBan approach with a refreshed Jira platform with just one workflow and very simple mapping – a complete antidote to the previously over-engineered configuration
This was deliberate, as we needed to provide the Software Development teams with a ‘fresh slate’, upon which they could apply their new, standardised ways of working.
Jira redesign in numbers
Custom Rovo Agents
During our diagnostic activity we identified several challenges which could be resolved using Rovo agents:
- Backlog prioritisation: This Agent retrieves all work items assigned to a user, pulling in key fields such as summary, due date, priority, and comments. The agent can also identify tasks that may have a disproportionate business impact, even if their priority or due date doesn’t immediately suggest urgency
- Demand intake: This Agent reviews work items against the ‘Definition of Ready’ and compares them with historical Jira issues to identify gaps, improve quality, and ensure teams can start delivery with confidence.
- Test case creation: This Agent automatically pulls information from Jira tickets (acceptance criteria, comments and custom field information) and uses the resulting data to build a comprehensive test suite.
Strategic visibility
As a public body, it was vital that stakeholders could accurately track the time and resources spent on software development projects, and forecast effectively.
We created a portfolio level view in Jira, to enable a higher-level view for senior stakeholders. We also set up roadmaps and a timeline to ensure they could see the status of work, alongside planned projects in the pipeline.
This strategic visibility ensures that teams on the ground can now continue delivering without having to report upwards, whilst senior leadership can quickly and easily access the metrics they require to understand software developer output.
Cultural change
A significant proportion of this project centred not on tooling or configuration, but on the delivery culture, mindset, processes and stakeholder engagement. We consequently delivered comprehensive training for engineering management, to guide teams towards their more unified way of working.
When we started working with our client’s software development teams, there were very few set rules or roles around work prioritisation or setting, no real adhesion to an Agile framework, and inconsistent approaches to estimating.
Our comprehensive, face-to-face Agile training session began with estimation and planning. We decided lead time was best option for them, and guided teams to understand how to put this into practice.
The second part of our training sessions focused on the new ways of working in the context of the tooling and Rovo agent. We provided access to the Jira sandbox, so team members could test their own use cases, explore the tangible benefits of an optimised instance, and get hands on training.
Outcomes
With a redesigned operating model, powerful new Rovo AI Agents, and extensive training and guidance, our client can expect:
- Greater efficiency and usability of Jira
- Improved visibility for stakeholders
- Stronger cross-team consistency and cohesive Agile working practices
- Standardised time-planning and estimation
- Time efficiencies through custom Rovo Agents
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