Introduction:
In this case study, we examine the journey of identifying the cause of the team demotivation and release delays by applying scenario-based development in a fintech company for one of their teams. The team was created to modify one of the company’s products to allow for deployment and customizations for different countries and legislations.
Growth Trajectory and Expansion: The initial product was implemented to be used in a specific country based on specific requirements. At the time, nobody thought about the potential expansion into other markets. And as it usually happens, some of the implemented code as well as various tools were tied to legislation particular to the initial market. When the opportunity to expand into other markets arose, the company employed a specific team to deal with various refactoring needs, replatforming and customizations, while the original team focused on the original market’s new requirements.
In this case study we will focus on the improvement of the development process of the new team by implementing a scenario-based development framework to address their challenges.
Key Challenges:
The team encountered several challenges during their tenure. These challenges included:
- changing or unclear requirements during the development phase
- miscommunication between the original and new team
- team dissatisfaction due to wasted entire implemented features because the requirements were not ready
- extended project timelines due to unnecessary rework during development
Solution identified:
While the company was using agile development, we focused on the testing and release phases of the development to discover the pains. We involved the development teams as well as product and scrum teams to create a more comprehensive understanding of the issues the product teams were facing.
We soon discovered that the majority of the rework was due to ambiguous requirements. While it is generally fine to have a direction and involve the various skills in the team to define a more clear path, in this case, even when the team aligned on a path, they often couldn’t align with the different market requirements. At times because of the novelty of the product in the market, there were no clear expectations. At times because the other products this product was integrating were not actually ready.
To tackle these challenges, we recognized the need for improved communication of requirements and expectations from stakeholders.
Based on the team’s skills and preferences we implemented a scenario-based framework. Looking at their previous deliverables and discussing with team members and product owners and stakeholders, we created the following:
- in backlog refinement meetings, we defined a clear path for each story with clear expectations of the behaviour upon completion of the story
- in the same meetings, we identified dependencies for each story
- we added follow-ups with dependencies and stakeholders to ensure the path identified matches the expectations
- we defined a decision matrix to start implementation by considering release dates from dependencies availability, requirements compatibility with the product, requirements readiness, etc.
- we refined the framework based on the team feedback
This approach enhanced their understanding, encouraged active participation, and facilitated a comprehensive review of the requirements.
Additionally, with some of the proposed requirements not being clarified enough to be implemented, the team had more time to improve the testing coverage of the product as well as refactor outdated code and therefore improve the overall quality of the product.
But the most important gain we noticed was the improved team satisfaction. The fact that they were creating new functionality and then reworked on removing it was taking a toll on the team satisfaction and on the quality of their work.
The implementation of scenario-based development framework resulted in notable cost savings and operational efficiencies for this team. By identifying issues early in the analysis and design phases, we prevented major system failures from reaching the development stage. This proactive approach reduced the need for costly post-production fixes and shortened the time to market for fixes and updated functionalities. Additionally, the streamlined testing process allowed teams to allocate more time to testing delivered functionality, resulting in higher quality products and increased operational efficiencies.
Key Lessons Learned and Future Recommendations:
This experience taught us lessons we added to our current scenario-based development approach:
- mapping scenarios improved communication and allowed the team to visualize the flow and interdependencies between components
- identifying dependencies and tracking their progress in early stages helped prevent misalignment and delays
- allowing team members to participate in defining paths and refining processes increased their sense of ownership and job satisfaction
- improved morale directly contributed to higher-quality work and shorter development cycles
- by integrating scenario-based development, the team gained clarity and focus on deliverables, reducing unnecessary work
It is imperative to introduce retrospectives to gather input on the process and improve it based on the team’s experience.
It is relevant to stay open to evolving methodologies as the market, product, and company grow and choosing the options which fit your needs best.
Conclusion:
The implementation of a scenario-based development framework significantly improved the development process, team morale, and product quality for the fintech company’s new team. By addressing ambiguous requirements, enhancing communication, and proactively managing dependencies, the team minimized wasted effort and reduced release delays. Additionally, focusing on iterative refinement and fostering collaboration empowered the team to deliver scalable, high-quality solutions while maintaining satisfaction and motivation. This case study highlights the critical importance of clear requirements, structured processes, and proactive engagement in overcoming common challenges in software development, paving the way for future scalability and efficiency.
Finding a scenario-based development framework that suits both your organization, teams and customers is fun and challenging and so worth it.
