Scrum@Scale Case Study

Case Study Summary 

Learn how Registered Scrum@Scale Trainer Andrew Lin led Biji, one of the biggest sports portal websites in Taiwan, to build a newly envisioned App for Cartoon Network Taiwan…but with the caveat that the development firm use the Scrum@Scale framework. Since Biji was new to Apps and unfamiliar with Scrum, Andrew Lin stepped in and the development team stepped up to make it happen. 

SUMMARY: When the Client Demands Scrum

The client, Cartoon Network Taiwan, had an idea for an interactive hiking App 2018 summer family event, so they hired Biji, one of the biggest sports portal websites in Taiwan, to build it. After reading the article “Scrum — The New Way of Work and Why Traditional Project Management Failed.” (128K viewed), written in Chinese, the client was adamant that the project be developed according to the Scrum@Scale framework. However, the development team had never built an App before, nor did they have any training in the Scrum@Scale framework. Time was running out and the team had no idea how to start. Fortunately for Biji, the author of the article, Registered Scrum@Scale Trainer Andrew Lin, happened to be in Taiwan over Christmas and agreed to provide Scrum@Scale training to the team and assist them through the development of the project.

The Solution: True Scrum@Scale Framework & Practices

Registered Scrum@Scale trainer Andrew Lin stepped in and accepted the challenge to help with both the “Training” and the “Doing”.  He began the training while in Taiwan, teaching the team the 3-5-3 of the Scrum framework, 3 roles, 5 events, and 3 artifacts. Indeed, all of these elements were essential to the true Scrum@Scale process the client demanded. Soon the development team learned to work together to collaborate on decomposition, estimation, and setting priorities. They learned to trust, and discovered by following the Scrum@Scale framework not only would they be more effective, but that they would work less hours and team happiness would increase.

After the initial training in Taiwan, Andrew then returned to Virginia and continued to coach the team remotely. The goal was undeniably clear, to have the App before the event. As a result, they proceeded with a new Registered Product Owner, a new Registered Scrum Master, a small development team, and a very active customer. Subsequently, the team planned for 5 two-week sprints, got the Product Backlog ready, developed their Definition of Done (DoD) and Definition of Ready (DoR), and set to building the App…and boy did they deliver! As a result, they completed the App in half the time estimated for completion. Furthermore the team continues to use the Scrum@Scale framework, and the App is still active, updated, and in use, which is truly successful!

Outcomes from Implementing Scrum@Scale

“We were not sure how to start until we saw Scrum. It was an amazing experience. I witnessed the power of an Agile Coach and Scrum that played vital roles in delivering the product successfully, and we had our app before the event.” – Sarah, Marketing, Cartoon Network Taiwan 

• The App was released in half of the originally estimated time, three months rather than six months.
• The App is still being updated with 10,000+ active users per month.
• The quality was comparatively high, with an App customer rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars.
• Client participation certainly led to greater value.
• Consequently, the development of the App has led to new clients for Biji.
• The team is still successfully using Scrum@Scale with 38 sprints as of 2019.

Who Is Andrew Lin

Andrew Lin is the first Chinese/English speaking Registered Scrum@Scale Trainer trained by Dr. Jeff Sutherland. He is a faculty member of APAC Train the Trainer for Agile Education Powered by Scrum Inc. (AEP). 

Andrew Lin’s mission is to be the Scrum bridge between Taiwan and the United States, and spread Scrum@Scale to change Taiwan.