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Agile Delivery 101: Overview, Best Practices & Examples

Everyone is talking about "Agile Delivery" and you want a quick overview, some examples and best practices? You'll find what you're looking for in this article.

Agile Delivery 1x1: Overview, Best Practices & Examples

What is Agile Delivery?

Agile Delivery is a method of delivering value to customers and stakeholders using agile principles and practices.

Agile delivery is based on the idea of iterative delivery, i.e., presenting increments of the product or service early and often, and learning from customer feedback and data to improve and adapt.

Agile delivery is not the same as "waterfall delivery," a traditional way of creating value in which planning, design, development, testing, etc. are pre-planned and then processed sequentially.

You often hear that an agile team has a huge "backlog" or task backlog that will dominate the next few months. And this is often referred to as "Agile Waterfall Delivery". However, I want to clarify that there is no such thing as "Agile Waterfall Delivery". And when someone claims to use it, they are conflating what doesn't belong together.

Agile Delivery Basics

There are three main principles of Agile Delivery that you need to understand and apply:

  • Deliver work increments early and often: Make sure everyone understands that value is only created when the customer has something useful in their hands. Anything that happens before that adds cost and doesn't create value. No matter what you're working on, it's not "done" until a customer can actually use it. Accordingly, teams should only start new work when their existing work is being used by customers.
  • Obtain quick and direct customer feedback: When teams provide early and frequent work increments, they can gather feedback from actual customers and act on that feedback. This only works if you have a structure in place that allows you and your team to get feedback from real users early. Common pitfall: don't let managers act as proxies for user feedback. Make it clear to managers that they may own the definition of "business value" but not the definition of "customer value" – this belongs to customers and should be explored directly by the product owner and teams.
  • Cross-functional teams: If your team has to talk to 10 other teams to deliver something to a customer, agile development won't work for you (yet). Make sure you have teams that can take ownership of the entire process, make decisions independently, and talk to customers.

Agile Delivery 1x1: Overview, Best Practices & Examples

Agile Delivery Examples – 2 Agile Organization Models

There are many different agile organizational models that can help you implement agile in your context. Here are two examples of popular models you can learn from:

  • Scrum: This is an agile framework that helps teams create value iteratively and incrementally.
    • Scrum defines three roles: Scrum Master, Product Owner and Development Team.
    • It also defines four events: Sprint Planning, Daily Scrum, Sprint Review and Sprint Retrospectives.
    • And it defines three artifacts: product backlog, sprint backlog, and increment.

Scrum is well suited for small to medium sized teams or projects that have clear and stable requirements and deliverables.

  • Spotify model: The Spotify model is an agile organizational model developed by Spotify, a music streaming company.
    The Spotify model divides teams into Squads, Chapters, Tribes, and Guilds.
    • A squad is a small cross-functional team that delivers a specific function or product.
    • A chapter is a group of people who have similar skills or tasks, such as developers, testers, designers, etc.
    • A tribe is a group of squads working on a related field or domain.
    • A guild is a community of interest that spans the entire organization.

The Spotify model is well suited for large organizations or programs with complex and dynamic requirements and outcomes.

Next, I would like to point out a classic management method that also plays an important role in an agile context: One-to-one meetings.

As you can see from the following graphic, employees consider them to be very important.

One on one meetings - how useful

Best practice: One-to-one meetings with developers

Leading software developers in regular one-to-one meetings is absolutely central to Agile Delivery Leads. They are perhaps your most important meeting. Do you take them seriously

I would like to take this opportunity to draw your attention to our free one-to-one meeting software, which has been specially developed for agile teams. Make your 1:1 meetings exciting, measure trends and, above all, make progress in your employee development! 

Try out one of our templates, see below. The following template is a standard template for bi-weekly one-to-one meetings, for example. It also includes a measurable "mood check" at the end, which you can of course customize:

👋 Welcome & Icebreaker

  • What is the weather like in your project / tasks at the moment?

📕 Topics Employee [name]

  • ...

👈 Executive topics

  • What went well?
  • Challenges?
  • Next priorities?

⁉️ Mood check (survey)

Free One-on-One-Meeting Template Form Satisfaction - English

Agile Delivery 1x1: Overview, Best Practices & Examples

Agile Delivery – The Best Practices

To be successful in agile deployment, you need to follow some best practices that will help you optimize your deployment process and results. Here are some of them:

  • Lead self-organized and independent teams: As an Agile leader or manager, you need to empower your teams to make decisions, take responsibility, and stand up for their work. You need to trust them to do their best without patronizing them or imposing unnecessary rules or restrictions. You also need to support them by giving them the resources, tools, feedback and recognition they need.
  • Have direct customer contact: As a member of an agile team or as a product owner, you need to interact directly and frequently with your customers. You need to understand their needs, expectations, and preferences and deliver value that meets or exceeds them. You also need to gather feedback from them on your product or service and use it to improve and adapt your offering.
  • Think of each new feature as an experiment you can learn from: As a member of an agile team or as a product owner, you need to treat each new feature or requirement as an experiment to test your assumptions and hypotheses about what your customers want or need. You need to carefully design your experiments, objectively measure your results, and learn from your data and feedback. You must also be prepared to rethink or move on based on your results.

That's all you need for an overview. I hope this article helps you understand more about agile deployment, its fundamentals, examples and best practices. If you have any questions or feedback, please let me know 😊.

"Many team members are afraid to speak up!"

"We discover too many unexpected issues & bugs at a late stage!"

"Why does it sometimes take me hours to prepare a simple retrospective?"

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You lead an agile team and...
📊... want to impress with clear metrics on your teams agiliity?
⏱️... lack the time to prepare great agile retrospectives?
You should try Echometer.

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FAQ about the 1:1 meeting tool

In Echometer there are two separate software solutions that are available within each workspace in Echometer:

  • 1:1 tool: Software for planning and conducting 1:1 meetings and tracking employee development
  • Retrospective tool: Software for planning and moderating retrospectives and tracking team development through team health checks

Both are independent software solutions, so they can be used separately from each other.

However, they work according to the same principles and aim to achieve the same added value: The continuous improvement of agile teams. In this respect, the simultaneous use of both software solutions is recommended.

Yes, you can assign administration rights to any number of users at both team level and workspace level. Please note the following:

  • Only workspace admins can take out and manage a Echometer subscription for a Echometer workspace.
  • Only workspace admins can create additional teams and name or remove additional workspace admins.
  • Team admins can appoint and remove additional team admins and team members for their team

First, simply register for free in Echometer. Then navigate to the workspace for which you would like to purchase the 1:1 software. If you haven't already done so, you can do so here: Create account in Echometer 1:1 tool

You can then manage your subscription (for both the retro tool and the 1:1 software) within the workspace settings.

You can choose from various payment methods when upgrading.

If you do not have access to your company's credit card yourself, you can simply add a buyer as a workspace admin in your Echometer workspace so that this admin can carry out the upgrade for you.

The best one-on-one meeting tool for managers (especially in agile remote teams) is probably Echometer. Why?

  • Typical HR management software providers (such as Lattice, Leapsome and 15Five) also offer 1:1 tools, but primarily market their complex HR suite and the functions for 1:1 meetings are less mature. In addition, HR software providers focus primarily on the needs of HR departments, not on the needs of employees and managers.
  • While generic tools for meeting transcriptions and summaries (such as Granola, Fellow or Spinach) also provide good summaries just like Echometer, Echometer also offers integrated AI coaching for managers and versatile templates, suggestions for employee development and building blocks for designing effective one-to-one meetings.

So here's a tip: If you're looking for the best one-on-one meeting software, take a look at Echometer's 1:1 tool first. The 1:1 tool from Echometer is even free for an unlimited number of 1:1 meetings with up to 2 employees: Try out the 1:1 tool Echometer

Yes, the Echometer one-to-one meeting software is the only 1:1 tool we know of that gives the manager feedback as an AI coach on how the next one-to-one meeting can be facilitated even better.

Typical tips from the AI coach are, for example:

  • Advice to ask more open and less suggestive questions
  • Use clarifying questions to ensure the same understanding of what is being said
  • Indication of a possibly uneven distribution of speeches or too little structure in the meeting.

The Echometer one-to-one meeting software helps managers to accelerate the development of their employees through the following everyday functions:

  • Hashtags: Making recurring topics recognizable and tracking long-term employee goals
  • Check-ins: Quantitative assessment of any factors relating to the employee's performance or development (including self-assessment)
  • AI coach: Based on the transcript of the one-on-one meetings, managers receive tips and advice on how they can coach their employees even better and involve them in the conversation.

Yes, with the Echometer 1-to-1 meeting software app you can track employee performance and goal achievement:

  • Check-in surveys can be used to measure the performance of employees (based on subjective statements). The assessment can be carried out during the one-to-one meeting (or even before) as a self-assessment by both the employee and the manager. The assessment can then be reflected on together in the one-to-one meeting.
  • Todos and action items for goal tracking and employee performance development can also be recorded in the one-on-one meeting notes.
  • You can also use hashtags in the one-on-one meeting notes to record and track qualitative progress towards employee goals. For example, you can use the hashtag on a measure to assign this measure to the employee goal.

Yes, in the Echometer one-to-one meeting software, both the manager and the employee can create and manage actions and tasks. For each new one-to-one meeting, the outstanding tasks from previous meetings are displayed.

Compared to other software apps for one-on-one meetings, the following functions are unique:

  • While other tools such as Granola are limited to the AI summary, Echometer also uses the transcript for the integrated AI coach for managers
  • In addition, the check-ins (i.e. statements with a scale answer) are a unique function in their concrete implementation in Echometer: employees can answer the statements before or during the 1:1 meetings and then trends are automatically created from the answers.
  • Integration with software for team retrospectives: Echometer is the only tool on the market that integrates software for agile retrospectives alongside the one-to-one meeting software and thus offers all tools for the essential management tasks in agile remote teams from a single source.

The 1-on-1 meeting software Echometer places particular emphasis on the following features that make it unique on the market:

  • AI coach: The 1-on-1 meeting software Echometer records an audio transcript of the meeting and uses an AI to give the manager tips on how to improve the next meeting.
  • Template library: The tool helps managers to discuss the right questions and topics in the one-to-one meeting with a well-founded library of questions and templates in order to develop employees in a targeted manner. The visual, lovingly designed "conversation starters" in particular are rated by managers as valuable icebreakers in 1-to-1 meetings.
  • Employee development KPIs: The software also helps to make trends in employee development historically visible through survey KPIs, so-called check-ins, in a beautiful analysis dashboard. These check-ins can be taken from the library (e.g. job satisfaction, customer focus, etc.) or created flexibly.
  • Employee goals and recurring topics through hashtag management: The flexible hashtag feature makes it easy to record and filter employee goals or other recurring topics, for example to call them up in the annual employee appraisal.
  • Private notes: Echometer offers the option of recording private notes in addition to the notes that are shared with the employee in the 1-on-1 meeting series. This means that these notes are not visible to the employee, but are still stored directly in the same place as the actual 1-on-1 meeting agenda.
  • Direct access to retrospective software: Echometer is the only tool on the market that offers integrated software for agile retrospectives in addition to one-to-one meeting software.

In summary, these features make Echometer one of the best, if not the best, software for remote one-on-one meetings between employees and their managers.

The following are confirmed, independent statements from customers and users of the Echometer one-to-one meeting software:

  • Joël Vierboom, Agile Coach & Team Coach at JTL-Software GmbH: "The software has paid for itself super quickly by saving me many hours of work. I hold a lot of 1-1 meetings and the tool has taken them to a new level in terms of efficiency and productivity!"
  • Michael Engel, Team Lead IT: "It's annoying when you have to change tools for every 1:1 meeting. Since I've been using Echometer, this has changed to – and I even have an overview of the development trends of individual employees. A highly recommended tool!"
  • Ronny Engel, Team Lead Development IoT at SMF GmbH: "I'm thrilled! More structure in our 1:1s, better discussions and ultimately more progress. Props to the Echometer team!"
  • Matt Alioto, Director of Engineering at Smyl Fitness: "One of the things that my own boss has done to support me, is get me a communications coach. And I actually had a meeting with her a couple of days ago and I showed her this [Echometer] feature, and it blew her mind, absolutely."

The Echometer 1-to-1 meeting software offers a generous free plan: managers can hold unlimited free one-to-one meetings with up to two of their employees.

If you want to hold 1-to-1 meetings with more than two employees, you have to switch to a fee-based tariff:

  • Monthly 29€ per manager with an annual subscription, or
  • Monthly subscription of €35 per manager

So you only pay for the 1-to-1 meeting software for managers and not for employees.

Further information on the prices of the Echometer tool for one-on-one meetings can be found here: Echometer Prices One-On-One Meeting Software

The Echometer one-to-one meeting software offers integration with the Microsoft calendar. This synchronizes the appointments from the appointment series with the 1:1 meetings in Echometer.

If, for example, appointments are moved in the Microsoft calendar, the meeting in Echometer is also automatically moved.

Echometer also offers a login with Google. SSO (Single Sign On) is also available in paid plans.

Yes, Echometer's 1-to-1 meeting software offers a generous free plan:

  • Managers can hold unlimited free one-on-one meetings with up to two of their employees.
  • All functions are also included in the free version.

You only need a paid license if you want to hold 1-to-1 meetings with more than two employees. Only one paid license per manager is required. Employees are free of charge.

Further information on the prices of Echometer's tool for On-on-One Meetings can be found here: Prices Echometer's 1:1 Meeting Software Tool

Yes, both the software tool for 1-on-1 meetings and the tool for team retros from Echometer are secure and GDPR-compliant.

Data in Echometer is sent in encrypted form and also stored in encrypted form on servers in Germany.

Several European financial institutions have chosen to purchase Echometer over competitors due to Echometer's stringent data security measures.

Echometer is the best software tool for On-On-One Meetings for the following reasons:

  • Collaborative notes with integrated AI summary (based on the transcript)
  • Integrated AI coach for managers with the option of recording central KPIs for employee development
  • Simple evaluation of trends in preparation for performance reviews and employee coaching –
  • "Everything in one place": Echometer allows the tracking of recurring topics and employee goals via hashtags in the meeting notes, allows private notes for participants and an extensive template library for 1:1 meetings with agenda building blocks.

One-to-one meetings are accordingly very effective for managers with Echometer's software for 1-to-1 meetings and yet simple and time-saving.

Echometer's software for one-to-one meetings can also be tried out on a permanent free plan: Try the best 1-to-1 meeting software for free

The greatest strength of the one-to-one meeting tool Echometer is to increase employee engagement in 1-on-1 meetings. This is made possible by:

  • As a moderator of 1-to-1 meetings, you can fall back on versatile templates for 1:1 meetings
  • The integrated AI coach supports managers in organizing 1-to-1 meetings.

Users confirm that 1-on-1 meetings with Echometer are more fun and more productive than average.

The one-on-one meeting software Echometer has a diverse range of features that make it unique on the market.

  • Agenda management: The interactive and synchronized agenda helps the two participants to set the agenda at an early stage.
  • Notes management: Notes can be transparently recorded at any time in the synchronized agenda by both the employee and the manager.
  • Template library: The tool helps managers to discuss the right questions and topics in the one-to-one meeting with a well-founded library of questions and templates in order to develop employees in a targeted manner.
  • AI summary: The Echometer 1-to-1 meeting software records an audio transcript of the call and summarizes the conversation to save time. In addition, tasks are automatically recorded, thus laying the foundation for preparing the next one-to-one meeting in a time-saving manner.
  • Integrated AI Coach: The one-to-one meeting software Echometer records an audio transcript of the meeting and uses an AI to give the manager tips on how to improve the next meeting.
  • Employee development KPIs: The software also helps to make trends in employee development historically visible through survey KPIs, known as check-ins, in a beautiful analysis dashboard. This allows, for example, the sentiment or mood of employees to be measured over time.
  • Task management: The 1-to-1 software Echometer helps employees and managers to manage action items from the one-on-one meeting in a dashboard so that tasks are not forgotten.
  • Employee goals through hashtag management: The flexible hashtag feature makes it easy to record and filter employee goals or other recurring topics, for example to call them up in the annual employee appraisal.
  • Private notes: Echometer offers the option of recording private notes in addition to the notes that are shared with the employee in the 1-to-1 meeting series. This means that these notes are not visible to the employee, but are still stored directly in the same place as the actual 1-to-1 meeting agenda.
  • Automatic reminders: In the Echometer one-to-one meeting software, you can set both you and your employees to receive a reminder via e-mail before the 1-to-1 meeting. This helps to ensure that the meeting agenda is better prepared on both sides.
  • Calendar integration: The Echometer one-to-one meeting software offers integration with the Microsoft calendar. This means that meetings that are moved in the Microsoft calendar, for example, are also automatically moved in the Echometer calendar.
  • All-in-one dashboard: Echometer offers a dashboard where you can see all employee tasks and results of the last check-in survey KPIs in one place. This helps enormously to get an overview of the status in the team.
  • Direct access to retrospective software: Echometer is the only tool on the market that offers integrated software for agile retrospectives in addition to one-to-one meeting software.

In summary, these features make Echometer one of the best, if not the best, software for one-to-one meetings between employees and their managers.

Echometer's one-to-one meeting software is a tool that supports the conduct of regular one-to-one meetings between managers and employees. Especially in online or virtual remote 1-to-1 meetings, it helps to conduct productive meetings in a time-saving manner thanks to various features.

The 1:1 meeting software from Echometer includes, among other things:

  • Customizable 1:1 meeting templates
  • Collaborative live editor for meeting notes
  • Transcription and AI summary
  • AI coaching tips
  • Library for conversation starters (open questions) and check-ins (scale evaluations)
  • Tracking recurring topics and goals with hashtags
  • Evaluation options for check-ins (scale ratings with comments) to analyze trends in employee satisfaction and other factors
  • Private notes for both participants

Further questions?