Inside Forty life at a heroic little marketing agency

Can a Marketing Agency Be Agile?

Posted by James Archer on April 13, 2009

After years of soul searching, experimentation, and dipping our toes in the water, we here at Forty have finally committed to fully adopting the Agile methodology across the board.

This is a pretty radical change for a marketing agency.  The Agile methodology was developed in the software industry, and for the most part has stayed there (albeit with great success).  Most marketing professionals don’t even know the methodology exists, let alone have implemented it.

We’re probably not the first agency to adopt this methodology (there must be some out there), but it’s still uncharted territory, and while there’s much we can learn from others, we’re also going to have to figure out a lot on our own.

Err…What the Heck is “Agile”?

If you’re used to the word “methodology” meaning “tons of paperwork and annoying procedures,” Agile may come as a pleasant surprise.

photo credit: pinguino

According to the Agile Manifesto, this methodology values…

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
• Working software over comprehensive documentation
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
• Responding to change over following a plan

Over the years, a variety of elaborations and refinements of those basic principles have become prominent, but those are the key tenets of the Agile approach.

Agile is NOT What You’re Used To

Most people (especially those hiring a traditional design/marketing agency) are accustomed to a “waterfall” process, in which the whole project is planned out beforehand (with detailed scope and budget guidelines), and broken into discrete stages requiring deliverables, reviews, sign-offs, etc.

photo credit: joshuahoffmanphoto

We’ve used that method for years, and it sucks. The only reason for all those scope documents are so the agency and client can argue with each other later about who did something wrong, when the problem could have been solved early on by simply talking instead of worrying about a comprehensive paper trail.

Why would we stick with a methodology based on the antiquated notion that we can accurately predict and plan for the future?  That may have worked 20-30 years ago, but the industry simply moves far too fast for that to be effective now.

Design/marketing projects simply evolve too quickly (based on competition, new technologies, changing trends, etc.) to accurately plan it all out in the beginning. We need a methodology that is nimble, flexible, and able to respond quickly. In a word: Agile.

What the Agile Methodology Means to Forty

photo credit: Jimee, Jackie, Tom & Asha

We’re still sorting out the specifics of our day-to-day routine, but these are the principles behind our own implementation of the Agile methodology:

• We believe in a single project team, comprising members of both our and our client’s organizations. (There is no “Us and Them,” just a single team working together.)
• We believe project team members should interact freely, without a project manager getting in the way.
• We believe the project team should have frequent (even daily) conversations.
• We believe real communication happens face to face or over the phone. (E-mail should be a last resort.)
• We believe in showing and discussing rough work (sketches, partial designs, etc.), instead of trying to perfect them before showing the client.
• We believe in delivering business value as early (and as frequently) as possible.
• We believe the project team should measure all work performed against identified business goals.
• We believe projects do (and should) evolve; we welcome course corrections.
• We believe in sustainable work habits. Weekends and evenings give everyone time to think, rest, and recharge.
• We believe project team members share accountability for results and performance. (Finger pointing is counterproductive.)
• We believe each project is unique, and requires flexibility regarding strategies, processes, and practices.
• We believe in learning, having fun, and doing great work.

We’ve been headed this direction anyway, but officially adopting Agile gives us a much-needed kick in the pants to formalizing our processes and workflow around these concepts.

We’re In Good Company

We’re novices when it comes to Agile, and I’m sure we’re going to run into many obstacles over the next several months (or years) as we find out what works best for Forty.

In the meantime, though, we have some great sources of guidance and advice.  We’ve shared office space at Gangplank with Integrum, a well-known Ruby on Rails software development firm that’s up to their eyeballs into Agile all the time; and we’re lucky to have as a client Michele Sliger (check back soon for a gorgeous new website!), an expert in helping companies adopt and implement the Agile methodology.

More Resources on Agile in Design / Marketing

• Getting Real About Agile Design
• How I Learned to Stop Complaining and Embrace Collaboration
• Applying Agile Principles to Communication Design
• The Agile Web Design Manifesto
• Agile Marketing
• Agile Marketing
• Agile Design

Stay Tuned for Agile Updates

We’ll be posting more about our adventures (and misadventures) with the Agile methodology on this blog, so be sure to subscribe to our RSS feed if you’re interested in following along.

Questions for You!

• Are we wrong about this?
• Does a marketing agency have any business mucking around with what is traditionally a software development methodology?
• Clients love the waterfall methodology because it feels so predictable. Can we convince our clients to adopt Agile, even if it means more up-front uncertainty?
• If you have experience with Agile, what would you recommend to an agency like Forty trying to adopt it for the first time?

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