From Crying to Scoring – The first two weeks of My Agile Journey

by Seri Nor Nadiah.

As a former journalist at a famous news publication with six years of experience in journalism, one year of corporate communications, and three years of UX writing. Never have I encountered Agile in my work. In my previous working experience, all the companies I've worked with are more corporate structured or fixated. Then, earlier this year, I was given this opportunity to join a company that practices Agile at work. That was when things changed for me.

In my previous companies, everyone will come to work and focus on their tasks. Neither my colleagues nor teammates know what we are working on. When I first joined CI Agile in early June, everything was fast-paced. Every day, at 9.30 am, we had to have a Daily Morning update, where everyone would tell what was on their to-do lists, what tasks they completed, and what there is currently working on. It gives everyone more transparency about what everyone is working on daily. Here, we get to see everyone's progress and their challenges. It gives me a sense of belonging to the team, which I have never experienced before.

In the first week, I was not familiar with the Agile method. Hence, I performed my tasks as how I used to do. However, it did not meet the expectations of the Product Owner (PO) or Stakeholder. The PO did not approve two out of three of the tasks assigned to me. I was frustrated and down about the situation. During the next cycle, I got more frequent reviews from the PO to improve my work quality and satisfy his expectations. The whole team cheered for my achievement. I realized that I needed to change my way of working and always understand what PO wants. Collaboration is crucial to ensure I save time and start producing better-quality work.

Through these two weeks of working here, I realized that even though we come from different departments, everyone will go hand-in-hand to complete everyone's tasks. The aim is to ensure that the team wins by synchronizing and delivering the team's tasks.

I've gained technical expertise and developed resilience, collaboration, and teamwork to serve me well throughout my career and life. So, remember my story the next time you find yourself vulnerable or facing impossible obstacles.