Running Innovation Sprints in Your Business
07/28/2023
There are many uses of the word “sprint” throughout our language, and each has its own meaning and purpose. Certainly, there are sprints in track and field events, and there are also sprints in other activities where we want to be very focused on a particular issue for a short period of time to get maximum results.
Several years ago during my involvement in the development of an online platform for providing safety training in agriculture, the software and website developers used the sprint strategy for biweekly objectives. We had a well-defined strategy with specific milestones for each element of the final product, which would take 6 to 8 months to complete. They then broke the development into two-week sprints with a particular focus on one element of the development, with each ensuing sprint building upon the results and completion of the previous sprint. Since the development included many individuals with specific roles and skillsets, each person had a specific task within each sprint. This development strategy helped us stay on track, confirm that milestones were achieved within the expected timeline, and confirmed that expectations for the entire project were met.
In a recent article on AgWeb by Sara Schafer, she summarized the process that Mark Faust, president of Echelon Management, uses with his clients to foster an environment of innovation and strategic focus. You can read her summary at: https://www.agweb.com/news/business/technology/how-run-innovation-sprint-your-farm
There are many great ideas shared by Mark on how to conduct a sprint in different phases to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to submit ideas, as well as identify personal areas of changes in behavior that can accelerate the growth of individuals and enhance your level of teamwork throughout the organization.
Included in the article is a link to Paul Neiffer’s Farm CPA Podcast (Paul is an ASAC Member), where he interviews Mark Faust on several of his management strategies. The direct link to Paul’s podcast with Mark is:
https://omny.fm/shows/the-farm-cpa-podcast/episode-80-mark-faust
Sprints are an excellent way to focus on specific issues, break large projects into smaller activities, grow teamwork and ensure that everyone has an opportunity to contribute.
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Don Tyler
Tyler & Associates
ASAC Board Member
There are many uses of the word “sprint” throughout our language, and each has its own meaning and purpose. Certainly, there are sprints in track and field events, and there are also sprints in other activities where we want to be very focused on a particular issue for a short period of time to get maximum results.
Several years ago during my involvement in the development of an online platform for providing safety training in agriculture, the software and website developers used the sprint strategy for biweekly objectives. We had a well-defined strategy with specific milestones for each element of the final product, which would take 6 to 8 months to complete. They then broke the development into two-week sprints with a particular focus on one element of the development, with each ensuing sprint building upon the results and completion of the previous sprint. Since the development included many individuals with specific roles and skillsets, each person had a specific task within each sprint. This development strategy helped us stay on track, confirm that milestones were achieved within the expected timeline, and confirmed that expectations for the entire project were met.
In a recent article on AgWeb by Sara Schafer, she summarized the process that Mark Faust, president of Echelon Management, uses with his clients to foster an environment of innovation and strategic focus. You can read her summary at: https://www.agweb.com/news/business/technology/how-run-innovation-sprint-your-farm
There are many great ideas shared by Mark on how to conduct a sprint in different phases to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to submit ideas, as well as identify personal areas of changes in behavior that can accelerate the growth of individuals and enhance your level of teamwork throughout the organization.
Included in the article is a link to Paul Neiffer’s Farm CPA Podcast (Paul is an ASAC Member), where he interviews Mark Faust on several of his management strategies. The direct link to Paul’s podcast with Mark is:
https://omny.fm/shows/the-farm-cpa-podcast/episode-80-mark-faust
Sprints are an excellent way to focus on specific issues, break large projects into smaller activities, grow teamwork and ensure that everyone has an opportunity to contribute.
= = = = =
Don Tyler
Tyler & Associates
ASAC Board Member
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