Agile process implementation

A structured workflow that improved clarity, delivery speed, and collaboration across design, development, and QA.

Project overview

Role

Operations, Delivery, Process Design

Skillset

Agile Implementation, Jira/Confluence Setup, Workflow Design, Coaching

Tools

Jira, Confluence, Figma, AEM, GitHub

Team

Designers, Engineers, Content, QA

Operations

Creating a shared delivery rhythm

Illumina’s digital work ran in a waterfall style—requirements drifted, teams worked in silos, and QA hit a crunch at the end. I led the move to Agile so teams planned together, delivered in smaller slices, and made progress visible. The focus: clarity up front, predictable cadence, and clean handoffs.

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My contribution

I led the shift from waterfall to Agile, designing Jira/Confluence workflows, introducing ceremonies, and coaching the team through adoption. My work included backlog management, requirements gathering, training QA, and acting as delivery manager during deployments to ensure launches ran smoothly and efficiently. I also drove continuous process improvements, refining workflows and onboarding practices so the team could scale Agile successfully over time.

The challenge

Unclear requirements and siloed workflows slowed delivery and created risk.

Waterfall slowed feedback and buried risk

Work often started without clear requirements, handoffs happened late, and defects surfaced near the end. Reporting to leadership was inconsistent, capacity was unclear, and deployments took too long.

  • 01

    Missing requirements

    Work often began without clear or documented requirements, leading to rework.

  • 02

    Siloed teams

    Design, development, and QA operated independently, causing misalignment.

  • 03

    QA bottlenecks

    QA received little time to validate, leading to late defects and missed deadlines.

  • 04

    Unreliable reporting

    Leadership lacked visibility into timelines, capacity, and progress.

The approach

Introducing Agile to unify process, communication, and delivery.

From waterfall to working cadence

I implemented two-week sprints with lightweight but consistent rituals, standardized how stories and defects were written, and designed Jira boards/flows that mirrored how teams actually worked. Confluence captured requirements so QA could write test cases early.

  • Ceremonies

    Daily standups, sprint planning, backlog refinement, demos, and retros to establish rhythm and accountability.

  • Workflow design

    Jira workflows, boards, and ticket naming that supported visibility across design, dev, QA, and content.

  • Story & requirements standards

    Confluence templates with acceptance criteria, along with clear guidance for story pointing and defect reporting.

  • Coaching & adoption

    Training for new and existing teammates, supported by ongoing backlog hygiene and process improvements.

The solution

A predictable two-week delivery system with Thursday releases and planned UAT.

A clear system for planning, building, and validating

A predictable two-week delivery system with Thursday releases and planned UAT. QA had around five days to validate, or we staggered sprints so QA had a full cycle while development started the next set. Requirements were captured in Confluence and stories flowed end-to-end through Jira.

  • Plan

    Requirements were documented in Confluence, with UX and content finalizing assets and design delivered through Figma and Zeroheight.

  • Build

    Engineers worked from GitHub branches and deployed to AEM, with assets managed in the DAM and progress tracked through Jira.

  • Validate

    QA wrote test cases from requirements, thoroughly tested across browsers and devices in AEM, and logged defects before UAT sign-off.

The results

Faster launches, fewer defects, and stronger alignment across teams.

Results achieved

The Agile system reduced risk and made delivery more predictable. With clearer requirements and earlier validation, teams shipped in smaller, safer increments and stakeholders approved work sooner.

  • 50% faster deployments Deployment nights were cut in half, with shorter, smoother releases that followed a consistent Thursday cadence every sprint.
  • 20% fewer post-launch defects Clear requirements and planned UAT reduced post-launch defects, strengthened testing coverage, and improved stability across launches.
  • Earlier stakeholder sign-off Iterative demos captured feedback earlier, reducing late-stage changes and building higher confidence before each release.
  • Clearer capacity and timelines Story points and backlog refinement gave leaders accuracy on scope, velocity, and realistic delivery dates for every sprint.
  • ~20% less time chasing clarity Teams spent less effort clarifying requirements and gained more focused time delivering meaningful work to end users.

Reflection

More than a system, it was a cultural shift in how digital work got done.

A steady cadence that reshaped delivery

Agile was more than a process change—it created a shared rhythm for how work moved from idea to release. Requirements were clearer, testing had the time it needed, and deployments became faster and less stressful. The steady cadence built confidence across design, development, QA, and content, replacing last-minute scrambles with a culture of predictability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

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