Skip to the main content.
Request a Demo
Request a Demo

2 min read

Agile, Scrum and GOLDPoint Systems

Agile, Scrum and GOLDPoint Systems

I know this topic seems like a departure from our typical subject material—because it is. I’m writing this because GOLDPoint Systems has begun the process of transitioning not just our development teams, but our entire organization to Agile. If that doesn’t make any sense, it’s ok, it will. When I first heard about our migration to Agile, I barely had an idea what that meant. Since then, I’ve learned a lot about Agile from people much smarter than I.

What is Agile?

There’s an uneasy consensus on what the definition of Agile is. After hours of research, the best I could come up with is that Agile is made up of certain protocols and methods that are based on a solid set of values and principles. Think of it as a philosophy, rather than a methodology or framework. Implementing Agile within an organization usually necessitates some serious and/or complete cultural change. One does not simply “turn Agile,” as it takes much more to change how you think, instead of how you do things. It’s a complete transformational change.

Agile works best with large, complex projects that require new changes to be continuously implemented throughout the development cycle. With Agile, you cut large projects into smaller ones, making it easier to focus on completing each task. These smaller projects are called sprints. Regular testing and frequent milestones that happen with sprints make projects more manageable and boost team morale. Breaking up bigger projects into a series of smaller ones facilitates risk reduction, quick feedback from users and increased speed to market. Agile teams are more flexible, adapt quickly to change and ship quality work faster and more often.

What is a Scrum?

If you’re a rugby fan, you’ll already know what a scrum is. A Scrum with an Agile development team isn’t much different. Grouping together as a team to start the next play works whether you’re on the pitch or in an office. A Scrum framework in an Agile project is a regular team meeting that facilitates organization, iteration and continuous improvement. It encourages completing work and continuously shipping value to customers. Scrum is used as a tool to develop, deliver and sustain complicated projects. Despite the popular belief that Agile and Scrum are different names for the same thing, it’s not the case. The collaborative nature of Agile, along with the transparency and framework of Scrum, help overcome many common problems that teams experience with other projects.

Scrum-framework-agile-philosophy

Using a framework like Scrum can help you think in a more Agile way. Scrum can make it easier for you to integrate Agile principles into your work. Scrum works with all types of teams: marketing, design and HR, but software development teams seem to work especially well with it. If your projects are constantly changing, requirements and goals all need to pivot and change with it. Scrum embraces the change.

Scrum embodies continuous learning and adaptation. Scrum accounts for the fact that teams rarely (if ever) know everything at the start of a project. When a team begins a project, they usually have a list of features, requirements, enhancements and fixes to work on. This list is called the product backlog. It’s a to-do list that’s constantly evolving and being updated. The team will meet periodically to plan which of the tasks from the backlog they’ll work on during the next sprint. Sprints are usually a couple weeks long, but you decide what works best for your team. During the sprint, team members will consistently participate in a few rituals, or ceremonies. These rituals are the load-bearing pillars of the Scrum framework.

In future articles I’ll go further in depth about the four Scrum rituals: Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum/Standup, Sprint Reviews and Sprint Retrospectives.

What Are GILA Loans?

What Are GILA Loans?

If you spend any amount of time looking over GOLDPoint Systems documentation, you’ve probably come across the term GILA Loan once or twice. But what...

Read More
Amortization Methods: Why Bother?

Amortization Methods: Why Bother?

In today’s world, where sophisticated computers effortlessly crunch numbers and calculate complex payment structures, it might seem redundant for...

Read More
Breaking News: First G/L Platinum Client Live!

Breaking News: First G/L Platinum Client Live!

On Thursday, January 25th, one of our clients fully converted to G/L Platinum, becoming GOLDPoint Systems’ first client to go live! The conversion...

Read More
GOLDPoint Systems’ 2023 In Review: Last Year’s Development Highlights

GOLDPoint Systems’ 2023 In Review: Last Year’s Development Highlights

2023 was a big year for GPS and its clients. We continued the march towards our all-Web future, servicing a ton of loans and making our client...

Read More
Charge-Offs: Not Fun, But At Least They’re Not Hard

Charge-Offs: Not Fun, But At Least They’re Not Hard

This feels like a very cliché way to start a blog post lately, but this past year has been rough. There are very few aspects of everyday life that...

Read More
What’s New or Core Update? The Lowdown on GOLDPoint’s Monthly Releases

What’s New or Core Update? The Lowdown on GOLDPoint’s Monthly Releases

GOLDPoint Systems prides itself on being the best in the business, and communication is an important part of maintaining that credibility. After all,...

Read More