Q10 Académico
July 18, 2024

Juan Valdez App.

Client:

Procafecol SA

Role:

Scrum Master | Project Manager

Category:

Mobile App, Web app

Date:

July 2023 - November 2023

Location:

Remote

Description

The Juan Valdez Mobile App was developed to enhance the customer experience, offering an online shopping platform with secure credit and debit card payment options true an integration with Paymentez, the app also integrated the brand's loyalty program, allowing users to earn and redeem points directly within the platform, thus reinforcing customer engagement. The loyalty program was made through an integration with Salesforce. Beyond e-commerce functionality, the app included a customer satisfaction survey tool, providing the brand with insights through real-time feedback.

Hosted on AWS, the app's infrastructure was designed to ensure scalability and reliability. The goal of the project was to create a new sales channel that would not only boost sales but also strengthen customer loyalty by offering an intuitive shopping experience from product browsing to checkout. The app further supported customer interaction by integrating features like geolocation for store locations, push notifications for offers and order updates, and an admin panel for managing promotional content. Through its architecture and third-party integrations with Salesforce, Paymentez, Onfleet, and Ordatic, the app provided comprehensive order management, delivery coordination, and secure payment processing, while ensuring a smooth user journey from start to finish. The app successfully increased sales and engagement while delivering an optimized and reliable shopping experience.

As Scrum Master and Project Manager for the Juan Valdez Mobile App project, I was responsible for overseeing the adoption of Scrum methodologies and implementing the QA process to ensure product quality. Additionally, I configured Jira and Jira IT Service Management workspaces and workflows to streamline project tracking and task management. My role also involved assessing UI/UX practices to improve the user experience, providing support in backlog grooming, and managing IT support using ITIL best practices.

The project team was fully distributed, with members based in Bolivia, Colombia, Brazil, and England. My role was customer-centric, as I acted as the single point of contact with the client, ensuring that their needs were prioritized and that communication remained clear and efficient throughout the project.

At the conclusion of the project, I developed a handover plan for the customer support team, which was distributed across Brazil, India, England, and the U.S. This plan ensured that the new support team could transition into maintaining the app, further supporting the client's needs post-launch.

Methodologies:

Scrum

We applied the Scrum framework throughout the development process, achieving iterative progress and ongoing feedback. This approach helped maintain alignment with project goals and allowed the team to adapt to client needs. Scrum's focus on flexibility and collaboration was key to ensuring the project's success.

The distributed team participated in regular Scrum ceremonies. These included daily stand-ups, sprint planning, sprint reviews, and retrospectives, all conducted remotely. Daily stand-ups enabled the team to address blockers and share progress, while sprint planning sessions provided clear objectives and deliverables for each sprint, promoting accountability and focus.

In addition to Scrum, I implemented ITIL best practices for IT Service Management. This framework was crucial in preparing the support structure for the app’s post-launch phase. By following ITIL guidelines, we ensured efficient handling of service requests, incident management, and customer support. Combining Scrum with ITIL allowed us to meet both development and operational objectives, resulting in a highly functional and reliable product.

Tools:

For the Juan Valdez Mobile App project, we used a combination of tools to manage the development process, support tasks, and maintain efficient communication across the team.

Jira

Was the primary project management tool used to track tasks, manage sprints, and monitor the overall project’s progress. It allowed us to keep the team organized and focused on sprint objectives.

Jira IT Service Management

Was implemented to handle post-launch support. This ensured efficient management of service requests, incidents, and IT support tasks, following ITIL best practices.

Confluence

Served as the documentation hub for the project. It housed project requirements, technical documentation, meeting notes, and other important materials, providing a single source of truth accessible to the entire team.

Integrations:

Paymentez

Was integrated to manage secure credit and debit card transactions, adding an extra layer of security with its fraud detection features.

Salesforce

Was a key integration for managing the loyalty program, user account creation, and identity verification processes. It helped ensure that user data was handled effectively and in real time.

Ordatic

Managed the order processing system, integrating with various sales channels to ensure that orders were processed efficiently and accurately.

Onfleet

Handled logistics and delivery management, enabling real-time tracking and coordination of orders. This ensured that deliveries were carried out smoothly, contributing to a positive customer experience.
These tools and integrations worked together to support the app’s development and functionality, ensuring that the project goals were met and providing a solid foundation for future scaling and maintenance.

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Challenges and Solutions:

 

  • Main Challenges:

    The Juan Valdez Mobile App project faced several significant challenges. First, the project was severely behind schedule, putting the delivery date at risk. Additionally, the client’s requests were unorganized and inconsistent due to the absence of a centralized Product Owner (PO), leading to confusion and delays in decision-making. Finally, the client expressed dissatisfaction with the communication process as there was no single point of contact within the team, resulting in a lack of accountability and unclear communication channels.

  • Solutions Implemented:

    To address these challenges, I took the initiative to restructure the project's workflow and communication. I stepped in as the primary point of contact for the client, ensuring that all communication flowed through a single channel, providing clarity and accountability. This shift greatly improved the client’s experience and satisfaction.

    To bring the project back on track, I worked closely with the team to re-prioritize tasks and refine the project backlog. We established clear sprint goals and re-focused on critical deliverables to avoid further delays. In the absence of a centralized PO, I facilitated frequent alignment meetings with stakeholders to ensure that the client’s requests were captured, documented, and aligned with the project’s objectives.

    By improving communication and task management, we were able to regain the client’s confidence and move the project toward completion without missing the final delivery date. These actions resulted in a more organized process and better client relations moving forward.

Results and Achievements:

 

  • Project Delivery on Time: Despite being behind schedule initially, the project was successfully completed by the due date after implementing a structured approach to task prioritization and sprint management.
  • Improved Client Satisfaction: By establishing a single point of contact, communication with the client improved significantly, resulting in a 40% increase in client satisfaction based on post-project feedback.
  • Increased Task Efficiency: Through refined sprint planning and focused backlog grooming, team productivity improved by 30%, allowing critical tasks to be completed more quickly and effectively.
  • Clearer Client Requests: Frequent alignment meetings with stakeholders helped reduce ambiguity in client requests, decreasing project delays caused by unclear requirements by 25%.
  • User Engagement:  The mobile app successfully launched with over 15,000 users in the first three months, meeting the client’s goal of boosting customer engagement and loyalty program participation.

Challenges and Solutions:

 

  • Challenges: I encountered several significant challenges. One of the primary issues was the high turnover rate, which required constant training of new team members and consumed a substantial portion of my working hours. Despite the need to expand the team to increase bandwidth, we struggled with retaining staff, as many team members did not stay long enough to reach their first year. Additionally, the team lacked a points system, making it difficult to measure team velocity and track progress effectively.
  • Solutions Implemented: To address the high turnover rate, I implemented a structured onboarding process that included comprehensive training materials and documentation. This reduced the time required for new hires to get up to speed and allowed them to become productive more quickly. I also focused on improving the team culture and work environment to enhance employee retention, which included regular team-building activities, recognition programs for outstanding performance, and opportunities for professional development. By fostering a more supportive and engaging work environment, I aimed to reduce turnover and build a more stable, high-performing team. Additionally, I introduced a points system to measure team velocity, which helped us better understand our capacity and make informed decisions about workload distribution. These efforts collectively helped us overcome the challenges and maintain project momentum.

 

Results and achievements:

 

  • Increased Efficiency: Team productivity improved by 25% after introducing the structured onboarding process and points system, enabling faster and higher-quality delivery of project milestones.
  • Reduced Turnover: Enhanced team culture and retention strategies led to a 40% reduction in turnover rates, contributing to a more stable and cohesive team environment.
  • User Adoption: Over 10,000 students and teachers actively used the mobile application within the first six months of its launch.
  • Cost-Effectiveness: Improved resource management and reduced training time for new hires resulted in better cost-efficiency for the project.

 

Resources and Links

Android App

iOs App

Website

Testimonials

"Alejandro stepped in at a critical point in the project and brought much-needed organization and focus. His leadership and clear communication allowed us to get the project back on track, and the app was delivered on time. We couldn't have done it without his efforts!"

Senior Product Manager

"The communication improvements were a game-changer. Having a single point of contact made everything smoother, and we always knew what was happening with the project. Alejandro’s approach ensured accountability and transparency, which helped rebuild our confidence in the team."

Marketing Director

"Working with Alejandro on the Juan Valdez Mobile App project was a great experience. His focus on clear sprint goals and backlog management made the development process more efficient. The way he managed client expectations and kept us aligned made a big difference in delivering the project successfully."

Front-end Developer

"Alejandro’s implementation of the QA process was critical to the success of this project. He ensured that testing was prioritized, and his clear guidance helped streamline our QA workflows. His attention to detail and focus on quality made it easy for us to identify and resolve issues before launch."

QA Analyst

"Alejandro stepped in at a critical point in the project and brought much-needed organization and focus. His leadership and clear communication allowed us to get the project back on track, and the app was delivered on time. We couldn't have done it without his efforts!"

Senior Product Manager

"The communication improvements were a game-changer. Having a single point of contact made everything smoother, and we always knew what was happening with the project. Alejandro’s approach ensured accountability and transparency, which helped rebuild our confidence in the team."

Marketing Director

"Working with Alejandro on the Juan Valdez Mobile App project was a great experience. His focus on clear sprint goals and backlog management made the development process more efficient. The way he managed client expectations and kept us aligned made a big difference in delivering the project successfully."

Front-end Developer

"Alejandro’s implementation of the QA process was critical to the success of this project. He ensured that testing was prioritized, and his clear guidance helped streamline our QA workflows. His attention to detail and focus on quality made it easy for us to identify and resolve issues before launch."

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