Develop Your Agile Approach for a Successful Transformation
Understand Agile fundamentals, principles, and practices so you can apply them effectively in your organization.
- Your organization wants to shorten delivery time and improve quality by adopting Agile delivery methods.
- You know that Agile transformations are complex and difficult to implement.
- Your organization may have started using Agile, but with only limited success.
- You want to maximize your Agile transformation’s chances of success.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
- Agile transformations are more likely to be successful when the entire organization understands Agile fundamentals, principles, and practices; the “different way of working” that Agile requires; and the role each person plays in its success.
Impact and Result
- Understand the “what and why” of Agile.
- Identify your organization’s biggest Agile pain points.
- Gain a deeper understanding of Agile principles and practices, and apply these to your Agile pain points.
- Create a list of action items to address your organization’s Agile challenges.
Member Testimonials
After each Info-Tech experience, we ask our members to quantify the real-time savings, monetary impact, and project improvements our research helped them achieve. See our top member experiences for this blueprint and what our clients have to say.
9.5/10
Overall Impact
$107,258
Average $ Saved
16
Average Days Saved
Client
Experience
Impact
$ Saved
Days Saved
Washington State Department of Ecology
Workshop
9/10
N/A
10
Alex and Aundria were excellent to work with. Aundria didn't miss a beat with the coordination. Alex did a group job with the training and i... Read More
Albemarle Corporation
Workshop
10/10
$34,250
10
Alex did a great job facilitating the workshop promoting engagement of the team throughout the workshop.
Queensland Treasury
Guided Implementation
10/10
$4,550
5
Alectra Utilities
Guided Implementation
10/10
$25,000
23
Tools and approach and articles were exactly what we were looking for and the discussion was fully aligned with where we would like to go. There w... Read More
Oakland County
Workshop
10/10
N/A
N/A
The workshop facilitated by Alex at Oakland County was very informative to those who attended as we embark on our first pilot projects using Agile.... Read More
Washington State Department of Ecology
Workshop
10/10
$34,250
29
Overall, this was a fantastic training. It allowed our key project team members to level-set and reach a common understanding of Agile and Scrum. T... Read More
Washington State Department of Ecology
Workshop
8/10
N/A
N/A
I heard from the team what their challenges are with Agile. I also heard from the leadership their perspective of agile. The training also provi... Read More
City of Birmingham
Guided Implementation
10/10
$32,195
10
It was a pleasure working with Suneel, the materials and guidance he provided are extremely helpful, and I will continue using them as we develop o... Read More
State of Ohio - Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation
Guided Implementation
10/10
N/A
N/A
Everything was good. Thank you for sharing the survey with me. I look forward to seeing what people have to say. Thanks!
Office of the Auditor General of Canada / Bureau du vérificateur général du Canada
Workshop
10/10
N/A
N/A
Alex is a top notch trainer. He related the workshop content to our reality and drew on his diverse experience with other Ministries and agencies. ... Read More
Arizona Department of Health Services
Workshop
10/10
$685K
32
The trainers were skilled and knowledgeable in Agile and IT. The hands on team approach was effective, in only a few weeks, we have formed our te... Read More
Arizona Department of Health Services
Guided Implementation
10/10
$2,603
2
San Diego County Office of Education
Guided Implementation
6/10
N/A
N/A
Best parts - Alex is passionate and knowledgeable about Agile; got our team to evolve our own internal discussions we've had (gave us new things to... Read More
Mansfield Oil Company
Workshop
10/10
$68,500
12
Kieran was very knowledgeable and was able to pivot the conversation to provide the right content to a mixed team of experience and those without e... Read More
Sanlam Life Insurance Limited
Guided Implementation
10/10
$50,000
18
Great interaction and probing questions from Alex. Received some excellent advice and points. Happy with the session. No negatives.
Virginia Department of Social Services
Workshop
10/10
$68,500
20
The interactive exercise was the best. The worst part was the comfort of the chairs, but that is not something Infotech controlled.
DAI Global, LLC
Workshop
10/10
$129K
20
No bad parts of the experience. Alex is an excellent mentor! It was an excellent workshop and I loved how people's mindset has changed within days.
Pepsi Bottling Ventures
Workshop
8/10
$13,700
5
Alex was able to keep our senior leaders engaged and provided good information to start off our Journery to Agile.
Pepsi Bottling Ventures
Workshop
8/10
$34,250
10
Alex was articulate and adaptive to our needs. We have now a good feel for agile scrum.
Virginia Community College System
Workshop
10/10
$389K
47
Best part - Alex brought the concepts alive for us with examples and stories. Worst part - struggles internal to the VCCS with a little bit of c... Read More
Arun Estates
Guided Implementation
10/10
$36,080
10
The best was introducing the concept of relative value.
Develop Your Agile Approach for a Successful Transformation
Understand Agile fundamentals, principles, and practices so you can apply them effectively in your organization.
Analyst Perspective
Understand Agile fundamentals, principles, and practices so you can apply them effectively in your organization.
Alex Ciraco and Hans Eckman
Application Practice
Info-Tech Research Group
Executive Summary
Your Challenge
- Your organization wants to shorten delivery time and improve quality by adopting Agile delivery methods.
- You know that Agile transformations are complex and difficult to implement.
- Your organization may have started using Agile, but with only limited success.
- You want to maximize your Agile transformation's chances of success.
Common Obstacles
- People seem to have different, conflicting, or inadequate knowledge of Agile principles and practices.
- Your organization is not seeing the full benefits that Agile promises, and project teams aren't sure they are "doing Agile right."
- Confusion and misinformation about Agile is commonplace in your organization.
Info-Tech's Approach
- Use our Common Agile Challenges Survey to identify your organization's Agile pain points.
- Leverage this blueprint to level-set the organization on Agile fundamentals.
- Address your survey's biggest Agile pain points to see immediate benefits and improvements in the way you practice Agile in your organization.
Info-Tech Insight
Agile transformations are more likely to be successful when the entire organization genuinely understands Agile fundamentals, principles and practices, as well as the role each person plays in its success. Focus on developing a solid understanding of Agile practices so your organization can "Be Agile", not just "Do Agile".
Info-Tech's methodology
| 1. Identify Common Agile Challenges |
2. Establish a Solid Foundation for Agile Delivery |
3. Agile Modules |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Phase Steps |
1.1 Identify common agile challenges |
2.1 Align teams with Agile fundamentals 2.2 Interpret your common Agile challenges survey results 2.3 (Optional) Move stepwise to iterative Agile delivery 2.4 Identify insights and team feedback |
|
| Phase Outcomes |
Understand common challenges associated with Agile transformations and identify your organization's struggles. |
Establish and apply a uniform understanding of Agile fundamentals and principles. Create a roadmap for your transition to Agile delivery and prioritized challenges. |
Foster deeper understanding of Agile principles and practices to resolve pain points. |
Develop your agile approach for a successful transformation
Everyone's Agile journey is not the same.
Application delivery continues to fall short
78% of IT professionals believe the business is "usually" or "always" out of sync with project requirements.
Source: "10 Ways Requirements Can Sabotage Your Projects Right From the Start"
Only 34% of software is rated as both important and effective by users.
Agile DevOps is a progression of cultural, behavioral, and process changes. It takes time.
Enhancements and maintenance are misunderstood
Why Agile/DevOps? It's about time to value
Leaders and stakeholders are frustrated with long lead times to implement changes. Agile/DevOps promotes smaller, more frequent releases to start earning value sooner.
Time to delivering value depends on Frequency of Releases
Embrace change, don't "scope creep" it
64% of IT professionals adopt Agile to enhance their ability to manage changing priorities.
71% of IT professionals found their ability to manage changing priorities improved after implementing Agile.
Info-Tech Insight
Traditional delivery processes work on the assumption that product requirements will remain constant throughout the SDLC. This results in delayed delivery of product enhancements which are critical to maintaining a positive customer experience.
Adapted from: "12th Annual State of Agile Report"
Agile's four core values
"…while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more."
– Source: "The Agile Manifesto"
|
We value. . . |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Individuals and Interactions |
OVER |
Processes and Tools |
|
Working Software |
OVER |
Comprehensive Documentation |
|
Customer Collaboration |
OVER |
Contract Negotiation |
|
Responding to Change |
OVER |
Following a Plan |
|
Being Agile |
OVER |
Being Prescriptive |
Harness Agile's cultural advantages
Collaboration
- Team members leverage all their experience working toward a common goal.
Iterations
- Cycles provide opportunities for more product feedback.
Continual Improvement
- Self-managing teams continually improve their approach for the next iteration.
Prioritization
- The most important needs are addressed in the current iteration.
Compare Waterfall and Agile – the "what" (how are they different?)
A "One and Done" Approach (Planning & Documentation Based)
Elapsed time to deliver any value: Months to years
An "Iterative" Approach (Empirical/Evidence Based)
Elapsed time to deliver any value: Weeks
Be aware of common myths around Agile
- … solve development and communication issues.
- … ensure you will finish requirements faster.
- … mean you don't need planning and documentation.
"Although Agile methods are increasingly being adopted in globally distributed settings, there is no panacea for success."
– "Negotiating Common Ground in Distributed Agile Development: A Case Study Perspective."
"Without proper planning, organizations can start throwing more resources at the work which spirals into the classic Waterfall issues of managing by schedule."
– Kristen Morton, Associate Implementation Architect,
OneShield Inc., Info-Tech Interview
Agile* SDLC
With shared ownership instead of silos, we can deliver value at the end of every iteration (aka sprint)
* There are many Agile methodologies to choose from, but Scrum is by far the most widely used (and is shown above).
Key Elements of the Agile SDLC
- You are not "one-and-done." There are many short iterations with constant feedback.
- There is an empowered product owner. This is a single authoritative voice that represents stakeholders.
- There is a fluid product backlog. This enables prioritization of requirements "just-in-time."
- Cross-functional, self-managing team. This team makes commitments and is empowered by the organization to do so.
- Working, tested code at the end of each sprint. Value becomes more deterministic along sprint boundaries.
- Demonstrate to stakeholders. Allow them to see and use the functionality and provide necessary feedback.
- Feedback is being continuously injected back into the product backlog. This shapes the future of the solution.
- Continuous improvement through sprint retrospectives.
- "Internally Governed" when done right (the virtuous cycle of sprint-demo-feedback).
A backlog stores and organizes PBIs at various stages of readiness
A well-formed backlog can be thought of as a DEEP backlog:
- Detailed Appropriately: Product backlog items (PBIs) are broken down and refined as necessary.
- Emergent: The backlog grows and evolves over time as PBIs are added and removed.
- Estimated: The effort a PBI requires is estimated at each tier.
- Prioritized: The PBIs value and priority are determined at each tier.
(Perforce, 2018)
Outline the criteria to proceed to the next tier via quality filters
Expand the concepts of defining "ready" and "done" to include the other stages of a PBIs journey through product planning.
Info-Tech Insight: A quality filter ensures quality is met and teams are armed with the right information to work more efficiently and improve throughput.
Deliverables
Many steps in this blueprint are accompanied by supporting deliverables to help you accomplish your goals.
Common Agile Challenges Survey
Survey the organization to understand which of the common Agile challenges the organization is experiencing
Roadmap for Transition to Agile
Identify steps you will take to move your organization toward Agile delivery
Blueprint benefits
|
IT Benefits |
Business Benefits |
|---|---|
|
|
Measure the value of this blueprint
Implementing quality and consistent Agile practices improves SDLC metrics and reduces time to value.
- Use Select and Use SDLC Metrics Effectivelyto track and measure the impact of Agile delivery. For example:
- Reduction in PBI wait time
- Improve throughput
- Reduction in defects and defect severity
- Phase 1 helps you prepare and send your Common Agile Challenges Survey.
- Phase 2 builds a transformation plan aligned with your top pain points.
Align Agile coaching and practices to address your key pain points identified in the Common Agile Challenges Survey.
About Info-Tech
Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.
We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.
What Is a Blueprint?
A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.
Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.
Need Extra Help?
Speak With An Analyst
Get the help you need in this 3-phase advisory process. You'll receive 8 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.
Guided Implementation 1: Conduct survey
- Call 1: Scope requirements, objectives, and your specific challenges (identify potential participants).
- Call 2: First call with participants (introduce Phase 1 and distribute survey for completion).
- Call 3: Gather survey responses and consolidate results (prep for Phase 2 calls).
Guided Implementation 2: Deliver Introduction to Agile presentation
- Call 1: Deliver Introduction to Agile Presentation.
- Call 2: Present result of Common Agile Challenges Survey and identify biggest pain points.
Guided Implementation 3: Examine results and problem solve
- Call 1: Present module on identified pain point. Work through exercises.
- Call 2: Create roadmap to address pain point (assign responsible individuals and timelines).
- Call 3: Conduct closeout and communication call.
Mature and Scale Product Ownership
Adopt Generative AI in Solution Delivery
Estimate Software Delivery With Confidence
Evolve Your Software Development Lifecycle Into a Solution Delivery Lifecycle
Select and Use SDLC Metrics Effectively
Improve Application Development Throughput
Activate Your Augmented Reality Initiative
Spread Best Practices With an Agile Center of Excellence
Perform an Agile Skills Assessment
Deliver on Your Digital Product Vision
Mentoring for Agile Teams
Implement DevOps Practices That Work
Deliver Digital Products at Scale
Enhance Your Solution Architecture Practices
Define a Release Management Process to Deliver Lasting Value
2020 Applications Priorities Report
Agile Readiness Assessment Survey
Define a Sourcing Strategy for Your Development Team
Define the Role of Project Management in Agile and Product-Centric Delivery
Implement a Transformative IVR Experience That Empowers Your Customers
Create an Agile-Friendly Project Gating and Governance Approach
Develop Your Agile Approach for a Successful Transformation
Take the First Steps to Embrace Open-Source Software
Enable Product Delivery – Executive Leadership Workshop