Looking at the title of this post, you may be wondering what the heck is ‘BiAgile Weeks’? Perhaps even thinking, ‘should my company be doing this too’? Keep reading and we will dive into what it is, why we implemented it, and what our team has learned.
The Idea Behind BiAgile Weeks
Agile Software Development is a method many companies use to build software. Instead of trying to deliver the entire project to the customer once it’s complete, they do it in increments. By following this process, the developers can better manage the workload, be more efficient, and receive quicker feedback on the project.
What is BiAgile Weeks?
BiAgile Weeks are not individual projects but are part of the overall Bicom Agile transformation program brought together by Miloje Seksan, Operations Manager at Bicom Systems. The goal of the program is to support the transformation of the organization from hierarchical and functional to an Agile organization that is a master of creativity, innovation, efficiency, and prosperity.
BiAgile is all about unlocking your full potential through innovation and creativity, learning and recognition, trust, communication, and collaboration! The Agile solution program is based on Total Quality Management (TQM) principles.
Every month, we dedicate one week to BiAgile. Within that week, there are three types of activities that take place.
1. SCRUM
Nexus Review
Nexus and Team Retrospectives
Nexus and Team Backlog Refinement
Nexus and Team Sprint Planning
2. EDUCATIONAL
Workshops
Presentations
Training
3. ARTI (Always Room to Improve)
Skill Development
Prototyping
New Experiences
“BiAgile week is a spot in time and space (multidimensional portal) where different realities emerge, coexist, materialize itself, and influence our future as a collective.” – Miloje Seksan, when asked what Bicom Systems BiAgile weeks are.
Why BiAgile Weeks?
The employees at Bicom Systems are incredibly passionate about their work. They are loyal but have enough spark to argue (well most of the time), and they have enough trust in others to move forward even when they are not sure if it is the ‘right move.’ Transforming into this agile framework provides our employees with advancements to improve their skill set and open new ways of thinking and innovating. Once our teams become agile, it will position our company to a more advanced level of success.
By implementing BiAgile Weeks, it allows us to unlock the potential of talent in the company through:
- Innovation and Creativity
- Learning and Recognition
- Communication and Collaboration
- And trust!
If we can truly be that kind of community in action, we can become masters of creativity, innovation, efficiency, and prosperity. You cannot simply do Agile. You need to become Agile.
How Have We Evolved?
“I promise you it will grow as well as you all will. So, expect the unexpected. Stay focused and agile. Embrace the unknown and change as a basic truth in the universe.” – Miloje Seksan to employees.
Starting in the new year, Bicom Systems has successfully held four BiAgile Weeks. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 outbreak forcing our employees to work from home for the time being, we had to stop temporarily. Many of our employees have been asking for an estimated start date on when they can expect the next BiAgile week to begin. In light of the pandemic, our team is currently looking for ways to transform and adapt BiAgile week to our new normal. Doing so by offering online work, collaboration and coexistence in a safe way.
Since we have implemented these BiAgile weeks, there has been a remarkable shift in the way that content and intensity of communication between teams has transformed. The approach to working together as colleagues, as well as with customers, has improved significantly. How our team is evolving has a positive impact on the features we develop, the service we provide, and the speed of development.
What Have We Learned?
Although the program is a work in progress, the purpose is to reach the state of change readiness. So far, we have found that under pressure, our performance soars to levels we have trained for.
For example, even though we recently released gloCOM Meeting in our latest update of Version 6, our team has been using it internally for over a year. Due to the pandemic and increase in demand for work-from-home solutions, we accelerated the development for customers. Although there is no way of knowing if this could have been achieved without previous knowledge from BiAgile weeks, we believe they played a significant role in the outcome.
Keep watching our blog and social media channels for more information on Bicom Systems BiAgile weeks! Does your company have something similar? Let us know in the comments below.