Background
The Victorian state government was establishing a new agency, Cladding Safety Victoria, to address high-profile concerns about flammable building cladding.
The Challenge
This new agency had to estabish itself quickly and put core systems into production. This included:
- Finance and Operations – For accounting and procurement
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM) – For managing cases and contacts
- Business Intelligence – For tracking and demonstrating results
The timeline was fixed and agressive. These systems had to be ready for the launch of the new agency, and delays in the procurement process meant this was just a few months away.
The Solution
The solution, delivered with NTT, consisted of Microsoft Dynamics 365 components. These were selected for their interoperability, support, and stability. Each component had to be configured over a short four-month period, customised to fit the unique requirements of the client.
For example:
- The Finance and Operations system had to be customised to to the client’s ledger and procurement process
- The CRM had to be customised to the unique process flow of identifying and addressing risky cladding in buildings across the state
- The business intelligence had to be customised to provide insights for a unique data set
The Team
The team was organised into three squads, each using scrum methods to iterate through delivery. Each team had its own product backlog and product owners. A cohesive solution was ensured through effective dependency management and cross-product backlog review.
Each team included all the necessary roles to progress from requirements elicitation, to development, to testing, and deployment. There was no “throwing it over the fence” to external teams. Each team was focused, self-sufficient, and accountable.
Each member also brought both technical and subject matter expertise. For example the Finance and Operations consultants were not just able to build the solution, but were chartered accountants themselves. They provided valuable advice to enable future scalability and avoid common pitfalls.
Not all components started their delivery at the same time. The cross-functional structure meant the delivery team could scale with a new team when needed. Each new teach could also “form, storm, and norm”, in their own way without affecting the others.
The Outcome
Despite an agressive timeline, all three components were delivered on-time and ready for the launch of the business.
- The scrum delivery and iterative approach enabled the build to begin quickly before all requirements were finalised.
- The cross-functional teams enabled effective communication and accountability
- A once-nervous client became confident seeing the progress demonstrated in showcases every two weeks
