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Customer Collaboration

5 minutes 5 Questions

Agile Manifesto believes that one of the keys to success in project management is active collaboration with customers throughout the entire project lifecycle. It highlights the importance of understanding and meeting customer needs, incorporating their feedback, and prioritizing their requirements. Constant communication with customers enables Agile teams to continuously improve the product, adjust to changing expectations, and maximize customer satisfaction. This flexible and responsive approach values customer input over contract negotiation, fostering trust, transparency, and mutual understanding.

Guide to Customer Collaboration in Agile Manifesto

Customer Collaboration is a fundamental principle in the Agile Manifesto which emphasizes the need for active customer engagement instead of contract negotiation.

Importance:
It ensures that the product development aligns with the customer's needs and expectations. It also fosters better relationships and understanding between the development team and the customer, leading to a successful project outcome.

What it is:
It refers to the continuous interaction with the customer throughout the development process rather than relying solely on initial requirements. This often involves regular feedback sessions and open communication channels.

How it works:
In Agile methodologies like Scrum, customers (or their representatives) are part of the team. They are involved in planning, reviewing progress, and giving feedback at every iteration to ensure the final product meets their need.

Exam Tips - Answering Questions on Customer Collaboration: Understand the key principles and examples of how customer collaboration works in Agile. Be able to explain the difference between customer collaboration and contract negotiation. Practice writing concise and clear answers focusing on the importance and application of customer collaboration in Agile. Specific scenarios may be asked, so be prepared with real-life examples or hypothetical situations demonstrating the positive impact of customer collaboration. Remember, the examiner wants to understand not just your theoretical knowledge but also its practical application.

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Agile Project Management - Agile Manifesto Example Questions

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Question 1

A new requirement from the customer arrives, but the team is already fully booked with work for the current sprint. What should the project manager do?

Correct Answer: Review the new requirement and discuss with the team and customer whether it is a higher priority than the current work, potentially adjusting the sprint backlog and priorities.

In Agile Project Management, it is important to prioritize requirements and collaborate collaboratively with the team and the customer. Reviewing the new requirement and discussing whether it is of higher priority than the current work allows for flexible adaptation of the sprint plan.

Question 2

Your team is halfway through a sprint and the customer requests a change to a feature being developed. How should you handle this request?

Correct Answer: Assess the impact of the change and discuss with the team whether it can be accommodated within the current sprint or should be added to the backlog.

Agile Project Management values customer collaboration. Assessing the impact of the change and discussing with the team whether it can be accommodated in the current sprint without sacrificing quality is the right approach.

Question 3

You have noticed that your customer has not been very active in collaborative sessions lately, which is beginning to affect the project's progress as feedback is delayed. How would you approach this situation as an Agile Project Manager?

Correct Answer: Communicate your observations to the customer, express the importance of their active participation and find a way to accommodate their schedule or resolve any other issues preventing active participation.

The best approach as an Agile Project Manager, when a customer is not active in collaborative sessions, is to actively communicate your observation with them instead of making assumptions. By expressing the importance of their active participation in the project, you align the customer with the Agile principle of customer collaboration over contract negotiation. Also, finding a way to accommodate their schedule or resolve any other issues is a constructive way to tackle the situation which aims at maintaining a good relationship with the customer and ensuring project progress. The idea of complaining about the customer's lack of participation to other stakeholders would not solve the problem and could potentially harm the relationship with the customer. Continuing with the project without the customer's input contradicts Agile philosophy which values customer collaboration. Starting to charge for any delays would likely strain the relationship and might not encourage increased participation, but rather could lead to conflict.

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