Agile in Agencies
On the whole, we are not seeing agile in its truest form but rather a mixture of agile and waterfall. However we have seen an increasing number of clients looking to bring candidates with agile experience on board, as they look to strengthen their Project Management approach.
Agile can be a very cost and time effective solution if it is implemented correctly. We are still far from seeing this approach as the norm, although there are signs of this trend strengthening. One example of this is a success story within a traditional agency that normally would not work with their clients in this way. Some clever and very persistent Project Managers have been able to implement agile in digital teams and are a great case study of how agile can be successfully implemented in even the most traditional agencies.
Overall, agile is taking off and will continue to do so. We are hearing more successful case studies than ever, not just in pure digital agencies but integrated agencies too.
Workload Overload
It would be true to say that the industry suffers from a high turnover of staff. There are several reasons for this and one recurring theme is the way Project Managers are utilised.
We have seen many instances whereby Project Managers are brought in to deliver projects but their workload is too intense, so much so that it is affecting their ability to complete all of their projects. Often this can be the case in smaller agencies, so if you are looking for new opportunities, make sure you take your time to understand how many other Project Managers you will be working with and what is expected from you.
You may find that there is normally one or two Project Managers in an agency, where the procedures are not as stringent compared to a larger agency. This overload detracts Project Managers as they are generally managing too many projects at any one time.
The Future
We have found that one of the key requirements for our clients is experience within the delivery of mobile. Mobile apps are in high demand at the moment, given the consumer focused environment in today's society.
As a Digital recruitment specialist, working with several clients on a daily basis, it is becoming apparent that your value is dependent on your ability to deliver technical projects. The current demand is for candidates who can provide an end to end web build, mobile application and platform builds. If you get the opportunity to work on these types of projects, grab it with both hands!
