How an Internal Agile Coaching Workshop Boosted Team Performance at KuJiaLe

Background

KuJiaLe's product R&D PMs are scarce, so in 2020 the PMO created an internal agile coach position, the "Afu Workshop". The goal is to improve team operation and collaboration through short‑term consulting, fostering self‑organization and continuous improvement.

Case Study: Team A – Independent Modeling Agile Squad

Step 1: Start with the End in Mind

Coach Afu interviewed members, collected pain points, observed daily work, and created an improvement backlog as the target.

Team atmosphere good, cross‑functional collaboration strong.

Each iteration delivers valuable increments.

Members respect each other, no departmental walls; manager participates in iterations.

Identified improvement areas:

Need stronger Scrum concept understanding, especially for new members.

Retrospectives have been skipped for 1‑2 months.

Planning time too long, effort estimation inaccurate.

Sprint completion rate and delivery rhythm could improve.

Step 2: Basic Training

Afu delivered a Scrum training covering history, the 3355 framework, user stories, Story Points, etc., to align the team on efficient collaboration.

Step 3: Ongoing Observation & Calibration

Coach calibrated the four Scrum events (planning, stand‑up, review, retrospective), providing timely feedback and explaining the purpose of each activity.

Step 4: Creative Retrospective

Because retrospectives had not been held for a long time, Afu facilitated an engaging retrospective using guiding tools, helping the team experience its value and define shared principles.

Step 5: Continuous Feedback

After each sprint, Afu shared velocity data so the team could perceive objective metrics and keep improving.

Results for Team A

Team velocity and sprint completion rates increased markedly (completion rose from 78 % to 85 %; individual Story Points grew from 6.22 to 8.5). Team members gave the workshop a 9.4/10 satisfaction score and a 90 % NPS.

Case Study: Team B – Rendering Middleware / Asset Platform Agile Squad

Step 1: Join the Team

Afu interviewed key members and observed iterations, discovering heavy external demand, frequent urgent tasks, and low sprint completion visibility.

Step 2: Targeted Analysis & Solutions

Implemented several measures:

Add refinement meetings to align TO/PO on priorities.

Manage ad‑hoc requests through a single PO/TO gate.

Emphasize priority throughout refinement, planning, and stand‑ups.

Set realistic sprint scopes based on historical capacity.

Establish a team charter for shared norms.

Create a project‑management dashboard for transparent resource allocation.

Results for Team B

After the workshop, sprint completion rose from 30‑50 % to 70‑80 %, and average personal Story Points increased from 13‑15 to 16‑17.

Key Takeaways

Short‑term internal coaching can surface hidden pain points, align Scrum practices, and dramatically improve delivery metrics and team morale across different product squads.