Sprinting to success: Implementing scrum methodology for seamless customer onboarding

Customer onboarding is a critical phase in ensuring long-term success and satisfaction with your product. Integrating Scrum methodology into this process enables you to create a more structured, engaging, and effective onboarding experience. 

At Propel24, Jasmine Reynolds, the Flow Customer Success Manager at Pluralsight, discusses the scrum methodology and how the onboarding journey can be divided into sprints to deliver a streamlined experience for the customer.

Jasmine discusses:

• Scrum methodology and roles in customer onboarding
• Benefits of scrum in customer onboarding
• Dividing the onboarding journey into sprints

Scrum methodology

Imagine the excitement of purchasing a new gadget, only to be dampened by confusing instructions. This is how onboarding can feel without a structured approach. 

Our goal is to make onboarding intuitive and enjoyable, turning customers into passionate advocates. This is where Scrum comes into play.

Scrum, a framework commonly used in software development, is all about teamwork, strategy, and achieving big goals. 

In Scrum, there are three key roles: the product owner, the scrum master, and the development team. Let's translate these roles into our onboarding context:

• Product owner (Coach): Represents the customer, sets goals, and prioritizes tasks.
• Scrum master (Team lead): Facilitates the process, removes obstacles, and keeps the team motivated.
• Development team (Onboarding team): Executes tasks, collaborates, and delivers value in each sprint.

Together, these roles form a cohesive unit that drives the onboarding process, ensuring exceptional customer experiences.

Benefits of scrum in customer onboarding

Implementing scrum in customer onboarding adds structure and agility to the process. It's like upgrading from printed directions to a GPS—faster, more accurate, and user-friendly. Here are some benefits of scrum in customer onboarding:

Enhanced agility

Scrum facilitates swift adjustments to align with evolving customer needs and requirements.

Increased transparency

Its iterative approach ensures clear visibility into the progress and deliverables of the onboarding process.

Faster time-to-value

Scrum enables customers to achieve value from onboarding faster by incrementally delivering results.

Improved customer satisfaction

Emphasizing collaboration and continuous improvement, scrum delivers tailored solutions that exceed customer expectations.

The five core values of Scrum

Implementing scrum might seem daunting and unnecessary at first, but it provides a solid foundation for building a structured and efficient process. It can transform the onboarding experience and help achieve the desired data insights. It also fosters a supportive team environment.

Scrum is not merely a set of practices and rules; it is built on core values that shape the team's behavior and mindset. Here are the five key scrum values.

• Commitment: The team is dedicated to achieving the goals of the Scrum project. Each member commits to doing their best to meet the sprint goals and deliver value.
• Focus: During the sprint, the team focuses on the work and the goal of that sprint. By concentrating specifically on the sprint goal, the team maximizes productivity and effectiveness.
• Openness: The team and stakeholders agree to be open about all the work and the challenges within that work. Transparency is key to identifying and addressing issues early.
• Respect: Team members respect each other as individuals. Everyone’s input is valued, and diverse perspectives are appreciated.
• Courage: The team has the courage to do the right thing and work on tough problems. They are not afraid to experiment, take risks, and stand up for best practices and quality outcomes.

These values are essential for creating a productive, collaborative, and high-performing scrum team. Implementing these values within our onboarding process will help us achieve a more structured, supportive, and effective environment.

Scrum roles in customer onboarding

In customer onboarding, three key scrum roles can be effectively adapted to enhance the process. Each role plays a crucial part, and collaboration across these roles is essential to deliver exceptional customer experiences at every stage. The key roles include:

CSM (project owner)

The product/project owner is the voice of the customer. They are visionaries and strategists responsible for understanding the customer’s needs and defining the onboarding goals. They prioritize the backlog to ensure that the team is always working on high-value tasks. Think of them as the coach who sets the game plan and strategy. In customer onboarding, this role is fulfilled by the CSM. 

Team lead (scrum master)

The team lead, also known as the Scrum master, is the team's guide and facilitator, ensuring the team follows Scrum principles and practices. They remove any obstacles that might impede progress, acting like the team captain who keeps everyone motivated, on track, and ensuring the team is playing its best game.

Onboarding team (development team)

The development team, or the onboarding team, is the engine that drives the onboarding process. They execute the tasks from the backlog, delivering value in each sprint. This team is cross-functional and collaborative, working together to solve problems and create seamless onboarding experiences. They are the players on the field, making the plays and scoring the points.

Dividing the onboarding journey into sprints

Breaking down the onboarding process into manageable sprints allows us to focus on specific tasks, ensuring clarity and efficiency. Breaking the onboarding process into these focused phases helps you cover every detail and deliver a seamless experience.

Each sprint typically lasts one to four weeks, but this can be adjusted based on your specific needs.

Here’s how you can break your onboarding journey down into sprints:

Sprint 1 (Discovery)

Understand the customer's needs, goals, and expectations. This involves meetings, needs assessments, and setting clear objectives and timelines.

Sprint 2 (Implementation)

Set up the necessary tools and systems. This is like laying the foundation of a house—configuring software, integrating systems, and thorough testing to ensure stability.

Sprint 3 (Enablement)

Empower the customer to use the new tools through training and change management. Building confidence based on a strong foundation is key.

Sprint 4 (Optimization sprint)

Gather feedback, make adjustments, and optimize the customer experience. Fine-tune the system to ensure everything runs smoothly.

Creating a backlog of tasks

The backlog is a critical tool in the scrum toolkit. Think of it as a prioritized to-do list or a treasure map guiding us towards a successful onboarding. Prioritization is key—organize tasks by their importance and impact to ensure we're always working on what matters most to the customer.

1. Task listing: List all tasks needed for the onboarding process. Not every project will have the same tasks, so be flexible and adjust as needed.
2. Prioritization: Arrange tasks by importance and impact, focusing on high-value items first.
3. Definition of done: Clearly define when a task is considered complete. This ensures clarity and focus throughout the process.

Key elements of daily standups

Daily stand-ups are morning huddles that are short, energetic, and to the point. They keep everyone in sync, sharing what was accomplished yesterday, today's tasks, and any roadblocks.

Think of it as a pitstop in a race, essential for peak performance. These stand-ups streamline communication and help everyone stay informed.
Here are three key practices to ensure your daily stand-ups are effective and productive:

Purposeful agenda

A well-defined agenda keeps daily stand-ups focused on relevant topics such as progress updates, blockers, and action items, aligning the team with project objectives.

Team engagement

Encouraging active participation from all team members in a safe and collaborative environment fosters ownership, transparency, and collective problem-solving, driving continuous improvement and team cohesion.

Timebox

Implementing a strict time limit, typically 15 minutes or less, promotes concise communication, maintains momentum, and respects everyone's time commitments, fostering an efficient and disciplined meeting culture.

Key components of a sprint review

After every sprint, ensure you thoroughly review what has been accomplished. The goal of each review session is straightforward: clarify completed tasks, determine necessary adjustments for the next sprint, and above all, assess customer satisfaction with your progress. The key components of this step include:

• Demonstrating completed work: Present functional features, bug fixes, or enhancements developed during the sprint to stakeholders and the product owner to showcase tangible progress.
• Gathering feedback: Solicit insights from stakeholders, the product owner, and the development team on the demonstrated work to address any suggestions or concerns for improvement.
• Validating progress: Assess how well the completed work aligns with project goals, the product roadmap, and customer requirements to ensure development efforts are on track and meeting expectations.

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