Client Success Story: Assembling Top Developers to Form High-Performing Agile Software Development Team

CHALLENGES

Our client was faced with a demand for digital software features on its website that exceeded the company’s capacity to deliver. Our client had a number of large agile development teams working on various projects, but leadership wanted to experiment with new and different approaches to team structure and efficiency.

SOLUTIONS

Smaller, Leaner Team Design

Because of our strong track record of supplying existing teams with high-quality professionals, our client’s managers approached us with an opportunity to build an entire team to develop software features for the company’s website. The agile team was intentionally designed to be smaller, leaner and more nimble than other teams in the organization. The team was co-located from day one and their communication was excellent both within and outside the team.

Recruiting Top Talent

Our team of professional recruiters worked diligently to attract top talent to work on an aging technology stack while making intentional progress to the cloud. Every candidate went through a rigorous process that included technical phone screenings, face-to-face interviews with a small panel of Odyssey consultants, and a final meeting with Odyssey’s CEO to ensure a good cultural fit for both Odyssey and our client.

Building a Team Environment

Building a team environment started with finding the right leader to nurture the growth of the newly formed team of consultants. Similar to a sports team with great athletes, a high-performing software development team requires a leader who is committed to fostering individual and team growth. After hiring our team lead, we looked for individuals who were not only highly trained but also possessed “soft skills” that are often overlooked, including strong communication and collaboration skills and a desire to work in a team environment. These attributes are important for a team to deliver software features at speed and with excellence.

RESULTS

In a short period of time, the team became adept in a new complex technical environment and began delivering software features.

Two key new features enabled customers to upgrade their original reservations with both currency and loyalty reward points. These software features are highly valued by the client’s digital business team and are responsible for driving additional revenue beyond basic reservations.

The team built a strong level of trust, founded on consistent strong execution, within the client’s website development team.