Stronghouse

Our Agile Adaptation

23 April 2020 - Published by Deirdre Buist
During the Stronghouse kick-off we discovered how to adapt to this new phase of Corona conferencing and the value of IT technology when tackling social limitations. But we also brushed up on our agile and design-thinking skills. Now we are discovering how these skills and the lessons learned through IT development can fuel the next steps in our project and help to deliver on our innovation promise.

Working with the Agile methodology and design-thinking are essential to the Stronghouse ambition. Michael Dommershuijzen showed us how agile works using a ‘Renovate the Bathroom’ exercise. Now we know that personas, customer journeys and user-stories enable us to focus on homeowners needs and wishes in terms of their energy transition and retro-fitting their homes.

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Using the lessons learned during the course, as well as the input from a series of online workshops with the partners on Customer Journey, Blockchain and digital tools and the Neighbourhood Approach, a Stronghouse Agile White Paper  has been produced. This paper is a guide on how we will use the agile methodology to lead us through the complex issues involved in engaging, enabling and empowering individual homeowners to energy renovate their homes, houses and neighbourhoods.

There are different drivers, varying possibilities and diverse needs for support. What motivates homeowners? Do they want to save the planet, the environment, their energy expenses or just keep up with the neighbours? Despite the many instruments already developed and implemented – and notwithstanding some successes on a regional level - energy renovations are lagging and the invested public resources do not seem to yield enough results.

The Stronghouse partners are committed and agree with the key values from the official Agile Manifesto: ‘People over processes; products that actually work over documenting what that product is supposed to do; collaborating with customers over negotiating with them; and responding to change over following a plan.’ During the course of the project Stronghouse will focus on homeowners and their drivers, on proven support measures, on the engagement of homeowners and neighbourhoods and on the development of insights and opportunities.

 

Read more: The Stronghouse Agile White Paper