How does Bookster ship software and work on projects? What are some alternative ways to work, and why do we do it like we do?

Welcome to the Bookster podcast hosted by Simon, featuring discussions about the SaaS holiday rental software company Bookster, based in Edinburgh.

In this episode, Simon is joined by CEO Robin Morris and Technical Director Colin Guthrie, co-founders of Bookster. They discuss their roles, the company's agile approach, and the importance of customer feedback.

The important bits

● [00:00] - Intro to Colin and the podcast

● [02:55] - What do we mean by Agile?

Key takeaways

Colin explains his responsibilities, including technical operations and development. Robin describes their interpretation of agile methodology, emphasizing short development cycles and frequent releases to gather user feedback. They highlight the importance of balancing customer requests with the company's vision, avoiding the pitfalls of rigidly adhering to client demands.

The conversation also covers the collaborative nature of their development process and the challenges of maintaining and deprecating features. They share examples of features driven by customer input, such as owner statements, and the process of removing outdated functionalities.

Bookster's agile practices include weekly sprints, daily standups, and periodic planning sessions to stay responsive to market needs. The episode concludes with an explanation of agile versus waterfall development models, showcasing Bookster's commitment to continuous improvement and customer-centric innovation.

Questions answered in this session

● What do we mean by Agile?

● What is an alternative way of working?

● Why is it important to keep a feedback loop with customers?

● How do we unpick your customers' problems?

● How to meet clients' needs?

● How to manage the different terminology of customers and Bookster

● How to choose what features to kill off, or should they stay forever?

● What is Astro-turfing?

● What are our Agile processes?

● What is technical debt?

• Smashing your goals with holiday rental software