by Guillermo Martinez

Let me start today by saying that the intent of this document, is not to imply that the scrum framework is better than a traditional waterfall methodology or that scrum is only a suitable framework for CPQ kind-of projects. The intent of the following lines, is to reflect on how, in my own personal experience, the scrum framework accelerates execution when dealing with CPQ (Selection, Integration, Implementation and Optimization) projects.

COMPLEXITY. When I think on an implementation or optimization of CPQ software, I think of complexity. Not because CPQ is complex itself but because the level of cross-functional involvement required to implement. Dealing with several company departments that contribute and have a stake on the CPQ process is where the complexity resides. When I think about managing the complexities of cross-functional teams (and stakeholders), I think scrum is best for managing that complexity.

LIGHTWEIGHT & SIMPLE TO UNDERSTAND.Since scrum has those two characteristics, I believe it’s more than ideal for teams that have already a lot to think of problems to solve so, I use scrum because the team only needs to remember a simple framework and put its focus on productively and creatively deliver high value products.

COLLABORATION. Scrum is a highly collaborative framework. In complex environments collaboration is key to achieve success. In scrum, the whole team collaborates and decides what needs to be done and how it will be done. Scrum attempts to remove hierarchy barriers and makes the team responsible for the goal done and not the individual.

In several CPQ implementations, integration or optimizations projects introducing CPQ features on increments or staggering the project is not out of the norm. It’s usual to release CPQ product features for one product, product family, product line, a channel or a region one at a time. By doing that, the opportunity to stager, refine and learn from previous increments arises on every release of CPQ software. That sounds just like a scrum!

The Sprint, the core of scrum, provides the ideal framework to release CPQ product features to react to the market, to introduce a new product, to enter into a new channel, market, country or region one at a time, minimizing the risk of a big-bang implementation approach. I is not my intention to describe here the details of the sprint (nor the scrum framework). However I just want to reiterate that Sprint Planning, Daily Scrums, the development work, the Sprint Review, and the Sprint Retrospective provides the perfect environment to very rapidly, 30 days or less, plan, build, test and deliver ͞increments of potentially releasable functionality͟.

As a final reflection on how I see scrum as an ideal framework when working on CPQ implementation, integration or optimization projects; it is important to recognize that utilizing and adopting scrum will not be an easy journey, especially if your company or organization has been using another project management methodology for a long period of time and those are well established in your organization. Changing and adopting a scrum framework to manage project is going to need education, communication, leadership, execution, and more communication.

The beginning of the journey of scrum adoption will create confusion and resistance. Be vigilant and mindful that projects may deviate from its objective or may fail. Situations like that may create more resistance and you may be tempted to revert back to your old project methodology, whatever that was. Resist, change is painful, yes, but the rewards of governing your organization and your projects using a well utilized scrum framework are big: Predictability, Flexibility, Collaboration, Empowerment, etc. Next time you are to embark into a CPQ implementation, integration or optimization consider scrum as a framework. If you want to learn more about scrum review the available resources to learn it activate yourself and act, act as an agent of change!

Here it’s a short list of resources you can use to learn about scrum: