In March 2023, I had the pleasure of hosting a 2-day workshop on Agile & Scrum Fundamentals for a dynamic group of Reporting Analysts at QBE Insurance. The goal was to introduce the core principles and practices of Agile and Scrum, while providing practical, hands-on activities to help participants understand how these methodologies could enhance their day-to-day work and overall productivity.

As businesses continue to evolve and adapt in a rapidly changing world, adopting Agile practices has become more important than ever. The flexibility, transparency, and iterative nature of Agile methodologies empower teams to respond more effectively to changing needs and deliver value more consistently. This workshop was designed to help Reporting Analysts understand these principles and how they can apply them in their roles, particularly in reporting and analytics environments.

We kicked off Day 1 with a deep dive into the Agile Manifesto and its 12 principles. The focus was on how these principles align with today’s fast-paced, customer-centric business environment. For the Reporting Analysts, the key takeaway was how Agile encourages collaboration, flexibility, and a focus on delivering value — all of which are crucial in analytics and reporting work.

Agenda Highlights:

What is Agile?

• The origins of Agile in software development
• Core values and principles of Agile
• How Agile can be applied in different business contexts, including reporting and analysis
• Key roles in Agile teams

The Scrum Framework

• Introduction to Scrum as one of the most popular Agile frameworks
• Scrum roles: Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Development Team (with an emphasis on how these can map to Reporting Analysts' daily roles)
• Scrum artifacts: Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog, Increment
• Scrum events: Sprint Planning, Daily Standups, Sprint Reviews, and Retrospectives

Interactive Activity: "Agile in Action"

• The group was split into small teams to simulate an Agile planning exercise. We took a simple reporting project (like creating a quarterly report or setting up a dashboard) and used Agile planning tools like User Stories, Prioritization, and Estimation.
• Teams worked together to break down a report-building task into smaller, manageable pieces, ensuring that they could prioritize the most important tasks and create a plan for iterative delivery.

By the end of Day 1, the group had a strong grasp of Agile principles and the Scrum framework, with a focus on how these concepts could be used to manage their reporting and analysis work more efficiently.

Day 2 was all about putting Agile and Scrum into practice. The attendees were already familiar with the basic framework, so we shifted to more hands-on activities and discussions about real-world application in the context of Reporting and Analytics.

Agenda Highlights:

Deep Dive into Scrum Events

• We reviewed Sprint Planning in more detail, focusing on how to break down reporting requirements into actionable tasks that can be completed within a sprint (typically 1-2 weeks).
• The group participated in a Sprint Planning Exercise where they selected a reporting initiative, broke it into stories, prioritized, and estimated tasks using Story Points.

Daily Standups in Action

• Reporting teams often face challenges when tracking progress or aligning on tasks. We practiced running a Daily Standup where participants shared what they worked on the previous day, what they planned to work on next, and any blockers they might face.
• The goal was to introduce the concept of daily alignment in reporting, making sure teams stay focused on their goals and are able to quickly address any issues or delays.

The Importance of Continuous Improvement

• We explored the concept of Retrospectives and how they can be used to improve team processes and workflows. The group worked through a mock Sprint Retrospective where they discussed what went well, what could be improved, and how to iterate on their processes for the next sprint.
• We also touched on how Kanban (a visual project management tool) can help Reporting Analysts track the flow of work and optimize processes.

Interactive Activity: "Simulating a Sprint"

• To help solidify the learning, we ran a mini-sprint simulation. The group worked together to plan and execute a simple reporting task, such as creating a report on a specific KPI or generating a data visualization. The key was to iterate on the task, making improvements along the way.
• Participants used Timeboxes (limited durations) for each activity and reviewed the output in real-time to understand how to manage the work within a sprint cycle.

Key Takeaways By the end of the two days, attendees walked away with several valuable insights and skills that they could immediately apply to their work:

• Better Prioritization: Understanding how to prioritize tasks within the reporting cycle to ensure the most important work is done first, helping to focus on high-value reports and KPIs.
• Improved Collaboration: Agile emphasizes teamwork and communication. Reporting Analysts learned how to collaborate more effectively with other departments, such as product, operations, and leadership, to gather insights and make data more actionable.
• Continuous Delivery and Feedback: By adopting shorter reporting cycles (akin to sprints), teams can get feedback on their work faster, improving the overall quality and relevance of their reports.
• Adaptability: Agile provides a framework to quickly adapt to changing priorities and new information, which is especially valuable in a fast-moving environment like insurance and analytics.
• Focus on Value: The idea that every report or analysis should add tangible value to the business, and the Scrum framework can help ensure that teams are delivering relevant, actionable insights.