My extensive project delivery toolkit for agencies. Ensuring repeatable success, no matter who your client is, or what their needs are.
It acknowledges that project delivery at an agency has different challenges and pressures to product delivery. Fixed elements, regular new stakeholders, and shorter timelines for example.
Offering guidance for all types of scope and client, it includes all the core values of the Agile methodology, but without just patching common approaches unsuitable for shorter projects.
It’s a foundational approach which is flexible enough to be implemented by any delivery team. While encouraging them to personalise and evolve it for the specific needs of their agency.
It contains a powerful set of tools for every project stage, suitable whether:
- with clients who are new or existing
- with a scope which is fixed or flexible
- with requirements which are simple, complicated, complex, or chaotic
- with clients who perceive your agency as supplier, vendor, expert, partner or consultant
- with clients who offer the ‘how’ or ‘what’, or ‘why’
- with teams who are remote or co-located
- with teams who change often, or rarely
It includes recommendations for, and support with:
- Management approach
- Client onboarding
- Team dynamics
- Contract creation
- Meetings and formats
- Productivity and quality
Four Project Focuses
When it comes to specific projects, it defines four focuses.
Align
(more content soon)
This is the first stage of any client relationship, and any project. It includes the sales process and any early discovery.
- Ensures client engagement
- Balances and mitigates risk
- Builds trust on both sides
- Supports engagement and buy-in
Define
(more content soon)
The planning stage. Bringing any existing scope, and including the outputs from the Align stage, we create a project plan that includes the work, the priorities, the risks, estimates and people.
- Creates a detailed plan to push against and aim for
- Allows for discovery and change
- Can be value-led, metric focused, or fixed
Deliver
(more content soon)
Where things are created and delivered. Using our plan from the Define stage, we make progress against our plan.
- Considered scope creep
- Encourages early and often delivery
- Emphases doing things early and ending well
Adapt
(more content soon)
A regular review of our ways of working. Changing focuses at the team, approach, and project level to ensure holistic inspect and adapt both during and between projects.
- Classic inspect and adapt benefits
- Considers dynamic teaming challenges
- Focuses on the approach and team, not individuals
FAQ
How much of Agency Project Delivery Framework already exists?
A considerable chunk. Published on this website, and documented across various different online tools, notepads and flip charts.
All elements have experienced real world use. Everything has had input from various agency teams.
The work is now to:
- Publish it online
- Define it in more detail, so it can be taken and used by others
- Improved further, through use and feedback
Can parts of the framework be implemented without others?
Yes. Although the framework includes guidance beyond the Four Project Focuses, the focuses themselves are self contained.
Many of the elements within each focus also have individual merit. Tools, tips, techniques.
Is it suitable for an ad / marketing / software / design agency?
The framework focuses on client project delivery. It’s suitable anywhere that clients collaborate with a delivery team, and there is a clear start, middle and end to the work.
How much detail are you planning to share?
Breadth then depth. Initially the focus will be on explaining all areas of the framework. The level of detail will increase over time.
Starting with what it is and who it’s for. Then moving on to why it works. Finally how it works.
Some aspects of delivery / workshops may not appear online any time soon, if ever.
Is specific software or certain tools required?
The framework includes guidance on defining and managing ‘the work’, but doesn’t mandate or even make recommendations for where any digital managing is done.
Can you help us implement it?
Yes. I work with agencies on project delivery challenges. The elements of this framework are the core of that support offer.
If you’d like to chat about my services. Send me an email.