Working Agile: Bringing Values to Life at Yozu

For the team here at Yozu, it’s important that we work within a project management framework that aligns with our values.

Why? If our tangible ways of working mirror our core principles, we can be confident that our team is comfortable (both physically and mentally) with their workload, capacity and ability to deliver – and, crucially, that means our clients are happy too.

From ‘Agile’ and ‘Waterfall’ to ‘PRINCE2’ and everything in between, when it comes to project management for software development, there is no shortage of options. Each style has its own strengths and weaknesses but, for the team here at Yozu, it’s important that we work within a project management framework that aligns with our values.

Why? If our tangible ways of working mirror the core principles that we have defined together as a business, we can be confident that our team is comfortable (both physically and mentally) with their workload, capacity and ability to deliver – and, crucialy, that means our clients are happy too.

For Yozu, defining our values has been an extremely important step; not a ‘tick-in-the-box’ exercise, we wanted them to be a living, breathing representation of who we are as a business, consistently underpinning everything that we do for our clients.

What are Yozu’s values?

We’re All Human – We have good days, bad days and plenty in between. We have great ideas, and we learn as we grow. It’s what makes us human, and we acknowledge and respect this fact in all matters.

Don’t Settle for Standard – Standard thinking delivers standard results. We’re not here to toe the line; it keeps us – and our clients – static and stagnant. We’re not afraid to try something new and deliver the extraordinary.

Fortune Favours the Bold – Brilliant minds relish big challenges. We embrace what others might shy away from, and use innovative solutions to get the job done.

We’re Stronger Together – We know we can do more, achieve more, and enjoy more as a team so that’s where we focus our efforts.

Honesty Always – No fluff, no smoke. Whether it’s communicating with a client, a colleague or an external party, we’re honest, ethical and transparent.

With this in mind, using an Agile project management framework was a natural fit for Yozu. Though we continue to revise and refine our ways of working as we naturally evolve, learn and grow, ultimately, our core values remain, and so does the effective yet flexible framework that Agile provides.

What exactly is Agile project management?

Put simply, Agile project management is an iterative approach to delivering a project throughout its life cycle. Critically, flexibility and the space to change and evolve is built into the process. Why? Things change. Client objectives may be revised; research may highlight things that hadn’t previously been considered; budgets may change; even a global pandemic could turn the world upside down… The Agile methodology doesn’t only make change a consideration, but a benefit, allowing a project to naturally evolve without losing sight of the end goal.

Agile working also guides our progress without hindering our creativity and style, meaning our clients get the best of both worlds; structured, on-going development of their product, plus forward-thinking flair that brings it to life.

How does the Agile methodology support Yozu’s values?

Agile gives us a tangible framework to breathe life into our values. The structure allows us to build a pragmatic pathway to realistically achieve those big ideas that underpin our value of ‘not settling for standard’’; the flexibility and ability to make changes in real-time supports us when unforeseen events require us to pivot and acknowledge that we are, indeed, ‘only human’; and the ability to see a comprehensive plan for reaching our goals, broken down into individual tasks and objectives, reminds us that we are all critical to the delivery of a project – but we know ‘we’re stronger together’.

Sprint planning is also part of our Agile working methodology and allows us to retain focus on critical work at each stage of development. By breaking down the work into a series of ‘sprints’ – i.e. a set amount of time to focus on defined tasks – we are able to achieve key objectives at an achievable and consistent pace, all while allowing for flexibility and shifting priorities.

Click here to learn more about our approach, or if you’re ready to work with a dynamic, forward-thinking team that’s committed to bringing your project to life, let’s talk.