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The Value of Workshops

Most organizations insulate their developers from requirements gathering activities.  They prefer to pass one or many documents specifying all application functions to the implementation team to act upon. Medullan prefers to integrate developers into projects as early as possible – even having them participate in the workshop as note taker or even facilitator. As a developer, I feel like I add a unique perspective to the workshop team that would otherwise be missing.

By gathering all the key stakeholders in one room, Medullan’s workshop team can let everyone at anytime know what is possible, what is costly and what is impossible. In a sense, we developers are the realists in a workshop; we have the implementation know-how to realize that some things are not worth chasing and the experience to say that it will take 1 week or 4 weeks.  We are also able to create a quick prototype of an idea to prove or disprove ideas generated in the sessions.

More importantly, by participating in the workshop, we too, can build strong relationships with the client that will be valuable throughout the project’s lifecycle.

In a workshop, the common language of the application is created by all participants. System modules and concepts are created and named and for all future communication with the clients, this language must be known and understood. With the relationship established and the common language understood, the project leadership no longer need be gate-keepers or bottle-necks when implementation issues arise.

While unorthodox, Medullan’s approach of including a developer in the workshop has proven to be valuable for both the developer and the client.  By keeping the team grounded in reality and opening the channels for future communication, the developer role in a workshop is essential.

© 2009 medullan | blog.