Applying Agile Methodology Beyond IT
If you have already took the Sophomore SME courses, you probably know what agile methodology is from IT class. It is the concept of approaching a work project through iterative processes in order to cope with unpredictability. Although agile tends to be a IT word since it is mostly use to describe a software development process, however I have discovered from my own internship experience that agile methodology is used everywhere!
I have been assigned a marketing task in which I have to create a business brochure that advocates and describes the firm’s consulting service by specifically targeting the pharmaceutical industry. From the very beginning, my supervisor has explained to me the background information of the offering service as well as showing me some past informational slides that IXL employees have made previously. I was send off to design and create this brochure by myself. Luckily, I do have enough information to reference. I started my first draft by using the old and friendly pen/paper method. By drawing out the layout and bullet-point all the potential contents on each page, I have get myself start working on drafting the digital layout on PowerPoint very soon. My digital draft was done in less than two days, and just like the agile methodology in IT, it is always helpful to ask for feedback. Therefore, I sat down for a good one hour meeting with my supervisor for constructive comments. It is always good to have an outsider’s opinion, therefore I also collected friends’ comments about my design.
Having the skill to filter comments and rank feedbacks is vital, because it helps me to better align my design plus the contents with the goal of the company. After switching to a new layout design and revise the marketing contents accordingly, I have completed my second draft just today. But this is far from completion since now this is the time to go through the agile process again by having other employees from the company – (not just my supervisor) to critique on it. Although the whole process may appear to be very repetitive and dull at the first time, but it is super meaningful because the consecutive draft is always better than the first one. By knowing that this is an agile process, I am always ready to make changes to the design.