Small Talk

December 7, 2009 »

Why Workflow Matters

I’ve spent a fair amount of time the past few weeks working out the kinks in our development workflow. By “working out the kinks” I include “creating”, since there was no real workflow beforehand, at least not any formalized workflow. We use source-control solutions to manage our codebase and multiple environments to formalize the testing and quality assurance of our code. We are moving towards greater test coverage and will eventually include CI (continuous integration). We have a defined process for how client software moves through the environments. We are building out utilities to make the workflow simple and as error-proof as possible. We likely will institute constraints on who can move code where, deploy code, update certain environments, and the like (not as critical for a very small team, but worth considering nonetheless).

A couple of days ago I asked myself why I was spending so much time with this? Why is it so important to get it right and be thorough about it? After all, we’re a small company and we are trying to be as agile as possible, so why formalize it? The answer is simple: because workflow matters.

Workflow is process defined. It’s how we get from A to B, or better: from A to Z with all the stops in between. And if workflow isn’t defined, it doesn’t mean there won’t be process. It will simply be haphazard process. Haphazard process is at best messy, and at worst destructive. Workflow gives framework and structure to process, allowing it to scale vertically across the full panoply of project deliverables and horizontally across teams and diverse skill sets. With one person and one client, you might have a workflow. With ten people and twenty clients, you better have a workflow!

Ultimately, workflow means organization, control, repeatability and manageability. These are not the enemy of agility. They are part of the framework that makes agility possible. They provide the foundation to deliver on expectations, which means delivering what clients want, when clients want it. And yes, that matters!

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