The Agile Decision

By Rona Williamson, Senior Consultant

Agile project management has become popular across industries due to its flexibility, iterative nature, and client-focused approach. Instead of waiting until the end of a project to deliver the final products, Agile project management focuses on providing a working product continuously throughout the process, delivering in shorter cycles. The term “Agile” however is not about a specific process, but a mentality which organizations must be ready and willing to incorporate into their culture.

Candidates for Agile

It is important not to immediately assume that Agile is appropriate for your project, rather you need to evaluate whether Agile is beneficial for your situation.

Consider the following factors:

1. Complexity and Uncertainty: When requirements for a project are likely to change or there are no clear requirements that can be stated right from the start, an iterative approach is recommended.

2. Customer Involvement: If your stakeholders are available, willing to engage frequently, provide input and make decisions during the project, Agile can be very efficient.

3. Team Collaboration: If your team is small and either physically co-located or works remotely in an effective way, Agile will help to increase the team’s productivity and innovation.

4. Time-to-Market Pressure: For projects where early delivery of a minimum viable product (MVP) is critical, an incremental delivery approach can provide quick wins and early value.

Common Mistakes Organizations Make with Agile

42%

Of respondents report having mature Agile practices (17th State of Agile Report).

While Agile has many advantages, organizations that implement Agile methodologies are not immune to challenges. According to the 17th State of Agile Report, 71% of organizations use Agile in their software development lifecycle. However, only 42% of respondents reported that their Agile practices were mature, indicating room for improvement. Challenges include inconsistent processes and practices (46%), cultural clashes (43%), and lack of skills and experience (42%).

Here are some common mistakes and their prevention measures:

1. Going Through the Motions: Organizations may adopt Agile practices like  stand-ups and sprints without understanding why they are doing them. It is possible to rigorously hold ceremonial activities without real benefits. Make sure that your team understands the Agile values and principles and applies them properly. Agile is a mindset and the process is not as critical as the outcome.

2. Resistance to Change: Agile is a cultural and practical shift and your teams will need comprehensive training. To embrace the Agile philosophy, your teams will not only need to understand the process but recognize the value. Your teams will not be able to adapt without coaching, guidance, and support.

3. Insufficient Customer Involvement: Agile needs ongoing customer input to be effective. Encourage stakeholders to give their input frequently and ensure they have consistent methods of doing so. The goal is to deliver value, and your customers are critical in validating this.

4. Team Overload: Agile teams should contain only a few members, typically less than 10 people who are self-motivated. Roles and responsibilities must be clear and ideally the team makeup is cross-functional for increased flexibility and performance. Overloading a team with too many members or tasks reduces efficiency and coordination. Be realistic about your team’s capacity and velocity and learn and adjust with each iteration if needed for continuous improvement.

5. Ignoring Documentation: Although Agile emphasizes the development of working software, some level of documentation is still necessary. It is important to ensure that vital information is documented for the purpose of continuity.

Selecting the Right Agile Framework or Hybrid Approach

If you have determined that your project is suitable for Agile and your organization is onboard with embracing the Agile way of thinking, the next step is to choose the right Agile framework or hybrid approach.

Popular options include:

1. Scrum: This methodology is most used in situations where frequent delivery of functional product increments is required. Scrum involves sprints which are fixed periods of time for development, daily meetings known as stand-up, and retrospectives for reviewing and improving the process.

2. Kanban: This framework is most appropriate for projects that need continuous delivery and there is no fixation on specific time-based iterations. Kanban is an approach that involves the visualization of work, limiting work in progress and controlling the flow of work.

3. Lean Agile: This approach combines the Agile methodologies and Lean principles and is ideal for large, complex projects that want to maximize the value of their products or services with minimal costs and waste. Lean principles are about doing only what is necessary and improving the process continuously. These principles are combined with the iterative and collaborative approach to deliver value in shorter cycles from Agile.

4. Hybrid Approaches: Agile and the traditional methodologies such as Waterfall are combined in such a way that they are useful for projects with mixed requirements. For example, using Waterfall for the development of documentation and planning and Agile in the development life cycle.

Figure 1: Agile Frameworks

Conclusion

Decide whether Agile is the right fit for your project by thoroughly evaluating your requirements and organizational readiness. Avoid common pitfalls and welcome the Agile mentality, and Agile can be an effective method for achieving successful project outcomes.

Rona Williamson is a Senior Consultant with over 20 years of experience in delivering comprehensive digital solutions and driving impactful outcomes. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Geological Sciences with a Minor in Music from the University of Washington.

Forum Solutions is a management consulting company dedicated to crafting and delivering transformational outcomes for our clients, our colleagues, and our community. With our help, clients become more agile, resilient, and connected, bringing great ideas to fruition with brilliant results. From start-ups to the Fortune 50, business leaders rely on Forum Solutions to help them form and realize their strategies. Our company is a certified Woman Owned Business that believes in developing and growing our colleagues, company, and region in a socially conscious way.