Stop Storming and Start Performing: Developing a DAMS using Scrum

To answer calls for improved access, discovery, and system integration, UH Libraries has been building a flexible digital collections ecosystem over the past several years. In 2020, UH Libraries launched its digital collections ecosystem that supports efficient digital collections management, effective digital preservation, and integration with ArchivesSpace to better support discovery and retrieval of digital objects. This complex and challenging undertaking resulted in the adoption of a project management approach called Agile using a framework called Scrum. In this presentation, we will give an overview of the DAMS, and describe our project management trajectory from its earliest days, through its transformation into a highly effective team regularly delivering value-added increments to our users and stakeholders. We will give examples of different parts of the agile processes, the pivot points in the project, and the lessons learned from each iteration of our team. We are substantially underway with our migration of collections from CONTENTdm to our new repository and continue to benefit from the success of our Scrum approach.