Why digital agencies need to embrace agile approach in 2024
Is your agency life getting stressful?
Are client issues getting out of control?
Is the brand value somewhere diluting?
We may know who to blame, but that’s not the point.
You’re not alone. The fast-paced world of digital marketing can be a breeding ground for stress and burnout. But what if there was a better way?
Agile methodologies are transforming the way digital agencies operate.
As the CEO of ProofHub, a project management platform, I’ve witnessed the dramatic impact an agile framework can have. Especially in 2024’s dynamic digital world, embracing agile isn’t just a trend — it’s a critical step for agencies to thrive.
Industry leaders like Edward Kay of Tall Projects have seen quantifiable success with agile.
Let’s explore the challenges of keeping agency heroes up at night and how agile can help them achieve a better work-life balance with exceptional results.
What challenges do digital agencies have to face?
In today’s fast-paced and fiercely competitive environment, digital agencies encounter numerous challenges. Here are some of the most prominent hurdles they need to overcome:
Managing projects
Managing projects effectively is essential for any agency. This includes everything from scoping the project to managing the budget and timeline.
To manage projects effectively, agencies need to have good communication, organization, and problem-solving skills. They should also use project management software to help them assign and track tasks, estimate deadlines, and communicate with clients — all in one place. Which in the end, ensures projects are delivered on time and within budget.
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Complex processes
The many-to-many client model, where a single resource juggles several accounts, creates a bottleneck for digital agencies. This workload distribution leads to complex internal processes with multiple approval stages (client and internal).
The back-and-forth for approvals slows down delivery and creates a breeding ground for missed deadlines, project extensions, and ultimately, reduced agency productivity. Effectively, managing a multitude of tasks and deliverables for various clients becomes a management hurdle, hindering overall agency efficiency.
Meeting client expectations
Clients are becoming increasingly sophisticated and demanding. They dictate how long the project will last and what speed it will move. They expect agencies to deliver high-quality work on time and within budget. This can be a challenge, especially for agencies with limited resources. To meet client expectations, the agency stakeholders have to follow a highly agile and flexible approach.
Keeping up with the latest technology
The digital marketing landscape is constantly evolving, and agencies need to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies such as AI. This can be a challenge, as it requires ongoing investment in training and development. However, agencies need to be able to offer their clients the latest and greatest solutions.
Risk is always high
With client projects on tenterhooks, agencies constantly deal with business risks. This includes everything from clients leaving abruptly to projects going over budget. The risk is usually balanced keeping the cost, time, and budgets aligned. All of these factors are directly proportionate to process efficacy. If the process cannot produce enough productive hours and keep the schedules functional, the risk would creep up.
Benefits of shifting to agile for digital agencies
Agile was adopted into software development as a solution to cut down waste, improve stakeholder satisfaction, and make the end product deliver on quality standards.
This is made possible with a set of Agile principles that, when followed diligently, ensure better process manageability. Broadly, these principles talk about the following.
- Customer satisfaction is the priority
- Welcome change even when it’s late
- Offer value in quick and consistent iterations
- Collaborate across the team and with other departments
- The customer must achieve their intended goal
- Focus on improving the process for sustainability
- Keep the process as simple as possible
- Let the team self-organize
- Be flexible with readjustments
If we were to apply these principles to agency culture, there are five major areas where agencies can welcome change with agile adoption.
- Team collaboration
As discussed, agencies suffer due to hardbound processes that are unwilling to change. Agile introduces a flexible way of working wherein the focus is on achieving a shared goal rather than worrying about process predicaments.
This is done via active collaboration among team members. Rather than assigning fixed duties to the “Account Manager”, teams share responsibilities and solve problems with diverse skill sets at play. This helps break down silos of expertise and knowledge, enabling everyone to learn while working together.
In essence, this is what “let the team self-organize” entails.
So, yes, your tasks are still your tasks but you’re welcome to involve your team in achieving them. Similarly, you’re encouraged to reach out to anyone who might need your help.
2. Adapts well to prioritizing
In a typical agency, everything can be labeled as the top priority.
But actually, only a handful of things are. Agile has a smart prioritizing system in place that focuses less on urgency and more on the objective. If a client deliverable is running late, it doesn’t mean it should be handled with high priority, rather the priority should be to deliver with intended excellence.
In Agile teams, the software development process works with predictable bandwidths. Each week, the developers and product owners (clients) agree upon the work volume that’ll be executed and what to expect at the end of the week.
This means work priorities are well understood by both parties and can be altered to achieve the desired objectives. It prevents chaos that usually arises from mishandled priorities.
3. Enhanced project visibility
One of the biggest challenges in digital agencies is the lack of visibility into project progress. Traditional methods often leave stakeholders in the dark, leading to anxiety and frustration. Agile tackles this head-on by promoting transparency throughout the entire development process.
Daily stand-up meetings, readily accessible project management boards, and regular feedback loops ensure everyone is on the same page. This enhanced visibility allows for early identification of roadblocks and course correction before they snowball into major issues.
With a clear view of progress, agencies can make informed decisions, manage expectations effectively, and deliver projects more predictably.
4. Faster time-to-market
In the digital world, speed is king. Clients crave solutions that can deliver results quickly, and Agile empowers agencies to meet that demand. By breaking down projects into smaller, more manageable chunks (iterations), agencies can release features and functionalities faster.
This allows them to test the waters with real users early and often, gather valuable feedback, and iterate rapidly. This iterative approach significantly reduces the time it takes to bring a project to market, giving agencies a competitive edge.
5. Improved customer satisfaction
Miscommunication and missed deadlines are the bane of any client-agency relationship. Traditional project structures can often lead to these pitfalls, resulting in frustrated clients and project failure.
Agile tackles this head-on by fostering a culture of close collaboration and continuous feedback. Clients are actively involved throughout the development process, providing regular feedback and ensuring the final product aligns perfectly with their vision. This ongoing communication loop builds trust and transparency, leading to happier clients and a higher rate of project success.
How to constructively adopt agile for your digital agency?
Learning what an Agile process looks like and adopting it are two different stories. To help agencies embrace the Agile way of working, some definitive value points apply to most agencies in the world.
- Selecting the right framework
There’s no single “Agile” methodology — it’s a spectrum of frameworks with different flavors. Popular options like Scrum, Kanban, and Lean each offer unique structures and workflows.
Take time to research each framework, delve into its strengths and weaknesses, and choose the one that best aligns with your agency’s specific needs. Consider factors like agency size, the types of projects you handle, and your team’s dynamics.
For instance, if your agency tackles large-scale projects with clearly defined requirements, Scrum’s structured approach with sprints and backlog management might be a good fit. On the other hand, if your agency manages a high volume of smaller projects with evolving needs, Kanban’s visual workflow boards and focus on continuous flow might be more suitable
2. Use project management practices
Project management practices are nothing but certain checkpoints put in place to prevent risk from ever escalating. There’s a high chance that you already follow these practices, but it’s a fact that Agile and PM best practices complement each other like best friends for life.
Here is what digital agencies would want to take home:
- Split project work into smaller units — If you have 3 months’ worth of tasks, break them into tasks for each week and each day. Let your team achieve the entire project into daily and weekly chunks, rather than treating the project as one giant elephant.
Here’s a quick example:
Scenario 1
Objective: Build the frontpage of the client website
Task: Build the Frontpage of the client website
Deadline: 2 Days
Scenario 2
Objective: Build the frontpage of the client website
Task 1: Layout the page wireframe
Time estimate — 2 hours
Task 2: Build UI elements
Time estimate — 4 hours
Task 3: Create images
Time estimate — 4 hours
Task 4: Write content
Time estimate — 2 hours
Task 5: Upload and test
Time estimate — 2 hours
Task 6: Share the first draft with the client
Time estimate — 2 hours
Deadline for all tasks — 2 days
In the second scenario, the task is broken down into smaller units that are easier to comprehend and track. The team gets more clarity on what is to be done and you can individually check how each component of the project is performing. If you go by the first scenario, a lot will be left to hope.
- Meet every week (Or more frequently) — Quick, regular meetings (or stand-ups) prove beneficial in aligning the team and obtaining the status of the project. Managers must meet with executives once every day and once every week. This prompts greater clarity on project outcomes and opportunities for course correction.
- Define risk as objectively as possible — risk can’t be avoided if it’s not known. Hence, it’s a standard practice to define what risk means for the project. Sometimes, it could be a shortage of resources, and other times, client constraints. However, having a clear definition of risk not only helps avoid it but also helps plan mitigation strategies well ahead of time.
- Work in iterations — breaking the project down into cycles and smaller tasks makes it easier to build the project brick-by-brick. Teams who have an iterative process can actively gather client feedback for each iteration, preventing surprises near the end of the project.
3. Foster team communication and collaboration
Agile is all about effective communication and great collaboration. It’s often said that a champion team can defeat a team of champions on any day. It’s true because the impact multiplies when effort comes together.
Agencies should strive to foster a culture of collaboration. The three definite ways to do so are:
- Communication tools — Teams work anywhere today which demands a lot of video calls and chat screens. Ensure that your team has the right virtual communication tools for sharing files, brainstorming ideas, and socializing outside of work.
- Conflict management — Collaboration can and may lead to conflict. However, conflict is important for constructing ideas that can’t evolve from a single mind. Your job is to give your team enough room for constructive conflict without getting too absorbed into the conflict part.
- Psychological safety — Your team should feel safe to present new ideas and hold alternative opinions. If they’re scared to speak up, the team will just agree to each other and innovation will be stalled. Back your team with self-confidence and allow them to feel safe while opinionating on work matters.
4. Invest in training and tools
Agile is a mindset shift as much as a process change. Ensure your team understands the core principles behind Agile and the chosen framework. Don’t expect your team to seamlessly transform into Agile ninjas overnight. Invest in training sessions and provide them with the tools they need to thrive in this new environment.
Here’s where project management platforms like ProofHub come into play. ProofHub is a comprehensive project management platform that offers a suite of features that streamline Agile workflows and boost team collaboration:
- Visualize your workflow: Proofhub’s kanban boards offer a clear visual representation of your project. Tasks can be easily dragged and dropped between stages, providing a real-time snapshot of project progress for your entire team.
- Effortless collaboration: Ditch the endless email chains and scattered communication. It fosters seamless collaboration with built-in discussion boards, task comments, and @mentions. your team can stay on the same page and share updates effortlessly.
- Simplified reporting: Proofhub provides insightful reports that track project progress, team performance, and identify potential roadblocks. This real-time data empowers you to make informed decisions and optimize your agile practices.
- Built-in time tracking: Proofhub eliminates the need for separate time tracking tools. Team members can log their time directly within tasks, providing valuable insights into project efficiency and resource allocation.
- Unified client communication: The tool streamlines client communication by offering a dedicated client portal. Clients can access project updates, share feedback, and collaborate directly within the platform, fostering transparency and trust.
Investing in ProofHub is an investment in your Agile success. Get 14-day free trial and see yourself.
5. Cultivate continuous improvement
Agility is a journey, not a destination. Regularly assess your Agile practices through team discussions and client feedback. Don’t be afraid to adapt your approach based on what works and what doesn’t. Agile is all about continuous improvement, so constantly strive to refine your processes and unlock even greater benefits.
Hold regular retrospectives to identify areas for improvement, be open to experimentation, and celebrate successes along the way. By fostering a culture of continuous improvement, your agency can reap the long-term benefits of Agile and stay ahead of the curve in the ever-evolving digital marketing landscape
Conclusion
Adopting agile methodologies isn’t just about ticking a trendy box; it’s a strategic move for digital agencies seeking to thrive in the dynamic digital landscape of 2024.
The five-step roadmap outlined above provides a clear path for constructive Agile adoption. Remember, a successful Agile journey hinges on a well-defined purpose, a carefully chosen framework, a measured implementation, empowered teams, and a commitment to continuous improvement.
This will allow you to deliver projects faster, build stronger client relationships, and navigate the unpredictable future of digital marketing with agility and confidence.
So, take the first step on your Agile adventure and watch your agency soar to new heights.
