As a Delivery Manager at Everestek Technosoft Pvt Ltd, I often look within at the basic tenets driving our product development processes. The methodology at Everestek is harnessed on three basic planks called Product, Design, and Engineering. These are very vital planks of success but still represent a small portion of the entire picture. At the heart of the matter is that developing and cultivating exceptional products requires a plethora of skills—possibly more than one can count.
Among these many competencies, one, however, is pervasive and vital: Delivery Management. Today, I would like to share my ideas on what delivery management means to me, why it is indispensable, and how it does not come about by chance.
The term "delivery management" is overloaded with different meanings. For me, it contains four key areas of focus core to the role:
- Enablement
- Flow Optimization
- Focus
- Continuous Improvement
At its core, delivery management is about ensuring that the team members enjoy the best conditions for success. As a broad statement, this might be a little confusing, so let me provide some real-world examples to drive the point home.
1. Enablement: Setting the Stage for Success
Example: Tooling and Onboarding
Imagine any development team at Everestek Technosoft working on a new project. Enabling them to succeed, introduce a new project management tool like Jira that would enable them to trace tasks, responsibilities, and deadlines efficiently. Complement this with introducing new team members to the tool with detailed walkthroughs through a comprehensive training program and orient them with the team's process and goals.
This guarantees that everyone is properly equipped with the correct tools and knowledge from day one, thus setting the stage for the smooth execution of the project.
Other examples include making sure everyone understands how their work fits into the big picture, has clear lines of communication, shares the vision and goals, and monitoring/maintaining the well-being of the team members.
2. Flow Optimization: Smooth Sailing from Start to Finish
Example: Visualizing Work in Progress
Consider any software development team currently developing a new feature. The Kanban board was introduced to help visualize work in progress and hence maximize flow. Essentially, tasks are broken down into manageable pieces and moved through stages like "To Do," "In Progress," and "Done." We minimize bottlenecks with a limit on the number of tasks in the "In Progress" column and ensure that all our team members have focused on completion before they move on to new tasks. This thus points out the inefficiencies in the workflow and handles them, making the process of delivery more streamlined and predictable. Other examples include: reduce waiting between hand-overs of tasks, Use collaborative working techniques to help resolve the complex issues, Avoid swamping the team, Have a clear definition of who does what, Coordinate the deployment of new features, Inter-team collaboration—Work seamlessly together, and Accurate estimation and planning of tasks.
3. Focus: Keeping the Eye on the Prize
Example: Setting Clear Objectives
In one of our projects, we set a clear objective to improve the user experience of a web application. The team uses story mapping to break down this broad goal into specific, actionable items like redesigning the navigation menu, enhancing search functionality, and optimizing page load times. Regular reviews ensure that all activities align with the overarching goal of improving user experience.By maintaining a clear direction and regularly assessing whether activities contribute to the main objective, the team stays focused and avoids getting sidetracked by less relevant tasks.
4. Continuous Improvement: The Journey Never Ends
Example: Retrospectives and Feedback Loops
After completing a project, we conduct a retrospective meeting where the team reflects on what went well, what didn’t, and how processes can be improved. For instance, if the team encountered communication issues, they might implement daily stand-up meetings to enhance coordination and address issues more promptly.
Additional Insights into Delivery Management
Stakeholder engagement in delivery management is much like maintaining a good relationship with your travel companion. Much like how, when traveling, regular updates and clear communication can keep you both on the same path and clear about expectations from each other, keeping stakeholders informed and involved helps line up project goals for better outcomes.
Managing risks is much like planning a road trip. If you know where the bumps are likely to be in your road—whether it is weather or detours—and how to work around them, then you can avoid some major disruptions. The same can be said for technical, timeline, and resource risks: if you identify and address them early enough, you can avoid having issues derail your project.
It's like quality assurance in your house renovation: Just as one will want to inspect the renovation at each different stage of renovation to make sure everything is up to standard, regular testing and reviews of code throughout a project ensure that the final product is up to standard.
It's like adjusting your route when you hit unexpected traffic. The flexibility, or if you will, the 'pivotability,' of these same adjustments keeps the team on course toward the destination with changing requirements or when encountering unexpected hurdles in the process.
Well, much like in sports, mentorship and development are similar to ongoing team training. Continuous learning opportunities paired with guidance on how to execute those learnings will help facilitate improved skills and performance from your teammates. Just as a coach builds growth for a stronger team, so is investing in the development of your team—keeping the talent and building on the success of your project.
The Role of a Delivery Lead
While in most cases we would rather see a team performing delivery management, there are occasions when a dedicated delivery lead can make all the difference. This is especially true if we are running up against tight deadlines, dealing with tight dependency webs, or managing morale, productivity, and communication issues.
The delivery lead is the Swiss Army knife of project management. They have a T-shaped skillset—that is, broad understanding of several specialisms within product development and keen awareness of the broader context in which the team operates. They adapt approaches according to the needs of the team; sometimes facilitate, and other times lead by example.
Essentially, a delivery lead would then focus on these four key areas: enablement, focus, flow optimization, and continuous improvement. The delivery lead ensures that these aspects get the attention needed, which really is going to make project delivery much smoother and successful.
What a Delivery Lead Does NOT Do
Now, let’s clear up some common misconceptions about what a delivery lead doesn’t do:
- They Do Not Do the Team’s Laundry: Contrary to popular belief, a delivery lead is not there to clean up every little mess or handle mundane tasks like organizing office supplies. They focus on high-impact areas and strategic improvements, not on fluffing up the cushions.
- They Do Not Have a Magic Wand: A delivery lead cannot magically fix broken processes or motivate a demoralized team with a single wave of their hand. If only it were that simple! Instead, they work through systematic changes and provide support where it’s needed most.
- They Do Not Predict the Future: A delivery lead does not have a crystal ball to foresee every challenge or obstacle. While they excel at planning and risk management, they’re not fortune-tellers. They prepare for potential issues and adapt as new ones arise.
- They Do Not Replace Team Collaboration: A delivery lead is not a substitute for team communication and collaboration. They’re more like a coach, facilitating and guiding rather than doing the work for the team. The team still needs to pull together and work effectively as a unit.
Wrapping It Up: The Delivery Manager's Toolkit
In the grand symphony of product development, the delivery manager is like the conductor making sure everyone hits the right notes. Remember, it's not about doing the team’s laundry or waving a magic wand, but about enabling, optimizing, focusing, and improving. So, next time you see a smooth project delivery, just imagine me in the background, not with a cape, but with a Jira board and a lot of coffee. 🙂 Cheers to seamless deliveries and maybe a bit of magic after all!
