Inside AIMS

Sprinting to the Finish Line

The Imagine or discovery phase of the AIMS Project has concluded, and the Deliver phase begins. This phase ‘delivers’ a software solution with the functionality envisioned in the Imagine phase.

Developing the software solution through a series of 'sprints' | aimsproject.ca

Developing the software solution through a series of 'sprints'

 Development occurs in a series of sprints. When we think of sprinting, we imagine athletes running over a short distance in a limited timeframe. The comparison is not unlike what occurs in the Deliver phase. Four week ‘sprints’ are used to build and test and revise the software to meet expectations. 

 “We begin by going back to our user stories, which we created at the beginning of the project. The stories identify common issues faced by individuals working within the health system and provide insight into how to improve our practices,” explained JoAnn Collum, Program Director.

The first step is for each of the three functional areas including Finance, Human Resources and Supply Chain to select a series of user stories for their area. The stories identify the features required to respond to the need. This involves considering not only the features, but also the parameters around each request. For example, someone from Human Resources may want to access a provincial talent pool with employees listed by position, seniority, current geographical location, among other criteria. The software must return all required information to fulfill this enquiry. Each feature must be tested, refined and tested again to achieve the desired result. With each successive sprint there is more functionality added to build a representative end-to-end experience.

The strength of this method is in creating solutions, testing and revising to quickly land on a solution, rather than waiting until the end to see if there will be any surprises,” said Collum.

Usain Bolt, the fastest man alive, reflected “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in determination.” In the Deliver phase, the AIMS team will be lacing up their virtual runners, determined to take the project to the finish line.

  26-Feb-2019

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