Here at Formstack, our Marketing Department always has a giant list of to-do’s and goals. We are always busy working on something new and exciting to help get our name and product out there. To stay on task and to keep the workflow fast, we use a popular task management system called the scrum development system.
What is Scrum?
Scrum is a framework for continuous project management. The scrum cycle consists of four stages: product backlog, sprint backlog, sprint, and the finished product. In lamen’s terms that means: all goals to accomplish, all goals to accomplish now, the time period to accomplish goals, and all the goals that were accomplished at the end of the time period.
Our Scrum
Our Marketing team masters the system in our own way using three white boards. The first board consists of color coordinated sticky notes and categories like website, blog, sales, video, etc. Under each category is a sticky note with goals, projects, and/or ideas. The second white board is the weekly to-do board. At the beginning of each week the Marketing Department gets together and decides which of the tasks (sticky notes) will be moved to the weekly to-do board and whose job it is to work on each task. As each project from the weekly board is completed, we move the sticky note to the third whiteboard called the “Board of Accomplishments.” By Friday, we all hope to have the weekly to-do board completely clear and the “Board of Accomplishments” filled.
Our new office manager, Kelly, writing down a new project.
Why it’s important
- Teamwork– Working together as a team is what Formstack is all about. Our weekly marketing meetings and scrum system gets everyone working, sharing and accomplishing the same goals. The task management system also keeps us all on the same page. At any given point in the week, we all know what is left to be completed, who is working on each task and how we can help – a true form of teamwork.
- Organization– Working more hours in a day doesn’t always mean better outcomes; organization is key. By keeping all of our ideas, tasks and goals on color-coordinated sticky notes and utilizing three separate white boards, we are able to keep everything organized throughout the week. The workflow is easily controlled so the continuous flow of more tasks seems less daunting and more manageable.
- Efficiency – Because our Scrum system is so organized we are able to work more efficiently. By meeting only once a week and having a visual of all our goals, we spend less time discussing strategies and more time completing tasks.
- Outcomes- When we complete our small goals we make big achievements. By working together, staying organized and managing work efficiently, the scrum system helps us receive better outcomes and obtain our big picture goals.
Thanks to the scrum development system, we are able to keep the workflow under control, keep the office stress-free, and continuously meet our long-term goals and expectations. What kind of systems or strategies does your business use to ensure success?
Want to learn other ways to improve your project management? Check how to do so with our new integration! Read more down below.
