It’s time to create something valuable. The Deliver stage is where we build and release, turning plans into progress.
Deliver is the third focus of the flexible, scalable Agency Project Delivery Framework.
Critical for:
- Executing the project plan
- Meeting our commitments
- Demonstrating quality
- Shaping the client’s perspective of us
- Proving our value
- Achieving project completion
Deliver offers the flexability needed for different types of projects, because every client, their needs, and the level of maturity vary. Factors like the stage of the relationship, time constraints, agreement on priorities, their availability for feedback, and how success is measured all influence how we work.
What stays the same is our focus. We always deliver what we know to be valuable, as often as possible. It’s not always about polished software or high-fedelity creative work, but it must do at least one of the following:
- Unblock the client from making their own progress
- Create space for valuable discussions or decisions
- Move the project toward agreed outcomes
We welcome feedback during this stage. We don’t call it scope creep. All ideas, from the client or our team, should be heard and discussed. But they must only be acted on if they align with the outcomes we agreed on earlier.
Note: If we didn’t define clear outcomes, we likely struggled with client alignment during the Align stage, and instead we must have built a detailed scope during Define.
If the delivery team and the client are aligned around either valuable outcomes or a specific scope, we can be flexible and evolve the scope as we go. This comes with risk. Projects like this often overrun or fall short of expectations.
To avoid this, we must release early and often. This prevents late-stage bottlenecks for testing specialists, allows for regular feedback, and keeps momentum going.
Before Completion
Before we complete the project or move into support, we must confirm:
- The client agrees the work is complete
- All quality checks are finished
- Any future work related to this project is scheduled
Related Concepts
- Incremental Delivery
- Quality Assurance
- Feedback Loops
- Definition of Ready
- Definition of Done