How do you collaborate with IT teams who use different methodologies?

As an IT consultant, you may have to work with IT teams who use different methodologies, such as agile, waterfall, or hybrid. How do you collaborate with them effectively and deliver value to your clients? Here are some tips to help you navigate the challenges and opportunities of working with diverse IT teams.

1 Understand the methodology

Before you start working with an IT team, you should understand their methodology and how it affects their processes, roles, expectations, and deliverables. For example, if they use agile, you should know how they plan, prioritize, and execute their sprints, what tools and frameworks they use, and how they communicate and collaborate. If they use waterfall, you should know how they define, design, and test their requirements, what documentation and approvals they need, and how they handle changes and risks. If they use hybrid, you should know how they balance the flexibility of agile and the structure of waterfall, and what trade-offs they make.

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Anmar Al-Taai

Enterprise Solutions Strategist
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This is a complex question that's highly dependent on the business culture, the teams involved, visibility of the project/program at hand, org structures of the teams, project/program management and steering patterns, other 100 factors... However, strategically, Consultants should be, as much as possible, business value/goals delivery oriented. Hence, regardless the methodologies the specific teams are using, what needs to be governed is the delivery pipelines. There are different standards that consultants could use to establish such a pattern and its governance. Then follow through, avoiding exceptions, as much as possible...

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Segun FATOKI

Bridging the Gap Between Technology and Business | Champion of Agile & Simplification | Researching Innovative Solutions to Enhance Organizational Security | Continuous Learning | Community Development and Volunteering
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Most of the time, the methodology is not the problem. Joining a new team requires open mindedness and having a learning spirit. You must be ready to unlearn and relearn. Collaboration is not methodology dependent, be it agile or waterfall, your ability to learn quickly and thrive in a challenging environment is the key.

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Saveer Reddy Tetali - CSM

Delivery manager (Technical Project Manager) @DAZN | Project Management | Release and Deployment management | Agile Methodologies | Certified Scrum Master | Team Leadership | Data-Driven Decision Making
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Absolutely right. Before working with any new IT team, one should understand the respective methodology. Additionally, it's essential to grasp the core standards of these methodologies, making it easier to correlate with your methodologies and adapt quickly to new ones.

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C.K. Lee【李泽光】

Senior Business Analyst • Finance and Regulatory Reporting 🇸🇬
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Hybrid can be suitable for projects involving the customisation of a vendor solution, where the expected output has not firmed up at the start, which can be due to conflicting user requirements coming from different departments who have not worked together before. There is some level of commitment to cover the basics in FSD to start off things while pushing for an earlier UAT open to rapid and incremental changes

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Hammad Ahmed

Certified SAFe 6 Agilist | Certified SAFe 6 Practitioner | Business Analyst | Project Management | Scrum| Data Analytics | Banking Information Technology
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This is a tricky question to know the collaboration skills of the different IT teams. We need to understand the different methodologies and ceremonies to achieve the desired output. we planned our task according to the methodologies frameworks.

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2 Align on the goals and scope

Once you have a clear understanding of the methodology, you should align on the goals and scope of the project or task with the IT team and the client. You should agree on the expected outcomes, the success criteria, the timeline, the budget, and the roles and responsibilities. You should also clarify the communication and reporting channels, the escalation and feedback mechanisms, and the quality and security standards. By aligning on the goals and scope, you can avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, and scope creep, and ensure that everyone is on the same page.

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C.K. Lee【李泽光】

Senior Business Analyst • Finance and Regulatory Reporting 🇸🇬
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Working with Hybrid methodology can mean allocating more resources and time to UAT where major changes to the original design can happen

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3 Adapt to the culture and style

Another tip to collaborate with IT teams who use different methodologies is to adapt to their culture and style. You should respect their values, norms, and preferences, and try to fit in with their way of working. For example, if they are more formal and hierarchical, you should follow their protocols and procedures, and communicate with the appropriate level of authority. If they are more informal and collaborative, you should be more flexible and responsive, and communicate with more openness and empathy. By adapting to the culture and style, you can build trust, rapport, and credibility with the IT team.

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C.K. Lee【李泽光】

Senior Business Analyst • Finance and Regulatory Reporting 🇸🇬
(edited)
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Informal messaging have filled the gap where there are too many participants in a traditional meeting for the more quiet members to contribute their views, and we risk having valuable input not considered

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4 Leverage your expertise and skills

As an IT consultant, you have valuable expertise and skills that can benefit the IT team and the client. You should leverage them to add value and enhance the quality of the project or task. For example, you can provide insights, recommendations, and best practices based on your knowledge and experience. You can also offer support, guidance, and coaching based on your skills and competencies. You can also identify and solve problems, improve processes, and introduce innovations based on your creativity and critical thinking. By leveraging your expertise and skills, you can demonstrate your professionalism, competence, and value proposition.

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C.K. Lee【李泽光】

Senior Business Analyst • Finance and Regulatory Reporting 🇸🇬
(edited)
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We should discover which tasks took us the least effort to perform and be the first to volunteer ourselves. Perhaps we can cover each other for areas we’re still improving on

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5 Learn from the experience

Finally, you should learn from the experience of working with IT teams who use different methodologies. You should reflect on what went well and what could be improved, and seek feedback from the IT team and the client. You should also document and share your lessons learned, challenges faced, and solutions implemented. By learning from the experience, you can improve your IT consulting skills, expand your knowledge base, and grow your network and reputation.

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C.K. Lee【李泽光】

Senior Business Analyst • Finance and Regulatory Reporting 🇸🇬
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Showing appreciation ranks high as well, as well-meaning feedback without a good underlying relationship can be interpreted differently

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How do you collaborate with IT teams who use different methodologies?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Understand the methodology

2 Align on the goals and scope

3 Adapt to the culture and style

4 Leverage your expertise and skills

5 Learn from the experience

6 Here’s what else to consider

IT Consulting

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How do you collaborate with IT teams who use different methodologies?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Understand the methodology

2 Align on the goals and scope

3 Adapt to the culture and style

4 Leverage your expertise and skills

5 Learn from the experience

6 Here’s what else to consider

IT Consulting

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