Team Orchestration: Agile and collaborative ways of working  

UpCloud’s Managed Kubernetes Service will help customers save costs and increase efficiency and performance. But building the platform took flexibility and agility from a tightly-knit team.

To find out more from the team behind the platform, we spoke to Filipe Berti, Team Coach, to find out how the group promotes agile and collaborative ways of working.

The Orchestration team comprises skilled software developers and engineers with diverse backgrounds. 

Crucially, it also includes a Product Owner and a Team Coach. The team is responsible for discovering and developing UpCloud’s Managed Kubernetes Services and maintaining and improving the product, with these two roles acting as focal points for the whole project.

“Product Owner and Team Coach are roles that fit what we call agile ways of working in the software industry,” said Filipe.

“The Product Owner is responsible for the business and commercial aspects of the product. This role needs to learn the wants and the needs of the customer, and then communicate challenges, opportunities, and new builds to the wider team. 

“The Team Coach, meanwhile, develops the team’s capabilities to work together and deliver the best possible product.”

Internal collaboration is key to success 

Collaboration is one of the most significant ways of working within the Orchestration team. Currently, there are six internal domains collaborating, from the product discovery and development aspects to deployment and production. 

Facilitating this relies on good communication, as well as agile working techniques, such as Scrum and Kanban.

Filipe says cross-team collaboration across the entire organisation has been the key to the success of delivering UpCloud’s new Managed Kubernetes product.

“Internal collaboration to the team means sharing your thoughts, communicating your approach and needs openly, and being ready to help as much as asking for help – within and between the teams.”

“There is a constant importance placed on cross-team collaboration. All of the product teams across our business have been able to work together to lay the foundations for the UKS, and we’ve been able to leverage that all together to operate seamlessly.”

“And we understand that it is a continuous development work!” Filipe adds.

Improving the ways of working   

Having experience and technical knowledge in the team is paramount, but complex projects require flexibility and a culture of collaboration across the entire business.

Filipe says that, for him and his team, this was a rewarding experience.

“The journey for building and releasing UKS turned out to be transformative for the individuals, teams – and even the whole organisation – who worked on it.

“We had the opportunity to improve the ways of working between teams and domains and internally organise our daily tasks and iterations. Now we can tackle any challenge from a better perspective!” 

Read more about our recently-launched Managed Kubernetes Services, or get in touch with one of the team to see how UpCloud can help you find the right solutions for your business. 

Or read more about Filipe’s personal journey at UpCloud.