Top 3 SharePoint Online with Agile Methodologies

Here are the top three ways to integrate SharePoint Online with Agile practices:

• Creating Agile Project Sites:
• Team Collaboration: One can set up project sites for each Agile team. These sites can include document libraries, task lists, and discussion boards to facilitate collaboration.
• Kanban Boards: One can use SharePoint lists to create Kanban boards, allowing teams to visualize and manage workflow. This helps to track progress and identify bottlenecks.
• Document Management and Version Control:
• Central Repository: One can store all project-related documents in a central location. SharePoint’s version control makes sure that team members are working on the latest version of a document.
• Metadata and Search: One can utilize metadata to tag documents, for search and retrieval of information.
• Integration with Microsoft Planner and Teams:
• Task Management: Integrate SharePoint with Microsoft Planner in order to manage tasks and sprints. Planner has visual task boards which can be used with Agile principles.
• Communication: Utilize Microsoft Teams in conjunction with SharePoint to have real-time communication and collaboration. Teams can be directly linked to SharePoint sites, allowing for the access to documents and project information.

3 SharePoint Online Agile Methods

The following are three SharePoint Online Agile methods:

Implementing SharePoint Using Agile Methodology: Agile in SharePoint Online offers rapid iteration, adaptability, and customer collaboration in regard to key and core projects.

Using Microsoft Planner for Agile and Scrum Projects: Microsoft Planner can be utilized with SharePoint Online projects. The application provides features that align with SCRUM artifacts which can then be configured to accommodate Scrum based projects.

Agile Principles in SharePoint Content Publishing: SharePoint Online in Microsoft 365 allows businesses to publish content directly without going through a central publishing team. This offers a much quicker and rapid content management process.

SharePoint Agile Story Template

When using Agile and SharePoint, it’s important to utilize a simple template for a story. By having a template, it will help the development process of what is actually needed to be built. As an example, a template is as such:

FOR <customers>

WHO <need a piece of functionality>

THE <product>

IS A <product category>

THAT <key benefit>

UNLIKE <competition, alternative>

OUR PRODUCT <differentiating statement>

Filled in, this could be as such:

FOR <human resources department>

WHO <need a web-part to display frequently asked questions>

THE <frequently asked questions knowledgebase>

IS A <dropdown of choices of key departments>

THAT <are listed by category>

UNLIKE <the information technology web-part frequently asked questions>

OUR PRODUCT <will allow users ti pick the proper category then allow a response to the requestor via e-mail>

SharePoint and a Sprint Review Agenda

When SharePoint is utilized with agile, the following are some key tips to utilize during a sprint review agenda:

1)      Welcome everyone and state that during this time slot the SharePoint increments completed will be demoed.

2)      State what SharePoint aspects will and will not be demoed. Usually it is good to have test data in the sites, libraries, lists and workflows that are part of the demo.

3)      Demo the functionality in either a test or staged production environment.

4)      Discuss the new functionality and answer questions surrounding the delivered increment.

5)      Present upcoming backlog items as far as the features and functionality surrounding SharePoint.

6)      Conclude and review what was achieved during the sprint review and make sure that the product owner will enter and adjust priorities in the backlog.

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SharePoint & Agile Scrum

Overall – SharePoint and agile scrum are a good fit for many reasons – the common aspects of Epic -> Feature -> Story and Task are given an overview below of how they fit together in a SharePoint project.

Epics - SharePoint agile scrum allows teams to formulate epics (which would encompass a major release) – overall, epics maybe good for a new installation, upgrade, or cumulative patch of SharePoint.

Features – in SharePoint agile scrum, a feature (working functionality usually part of an epic) may consist of creating a custom web part or creating a new workflow for a change control process (these can be the features that are part of your new install).

Stories – these are the aspects that need created/built which will allow users to accomplish what they need to do in the said system. Stories are usually written in the context of:

As a <   >, I need  <   >, so that I get <  >. Where the text between the < > would be filled in by the users or an analyst working with a user.

A SharePoint example of a story would be:

As an end user, I need a button which when checked populates a list so that I get changes from the change control system from the day before.

Tasks – as part of a story – tasks will be needed so that the aspects that make up the stories asked are created and built.

SharePoint example:

                Custom list is created with proper fields

External content type is created for change control status field

Form is designed with button lookup to change control system

Thus – core agile scrum methods can indeed work well for SharePoint and tweaked and defined based on one’s business needs.

 

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