Agile pilot project selection
- 1. Where To Start - Agile Pilot Project Selection Why Pilot Projects Selection is Critical? - 0 - • Should be able to convincingly demonstrate the Business value • Convince IT and Business Senior Management to provide commitments/budget to advance the Organization’s Agile Transformation journey • Should create a positive atmosphere for other project teams to provide commitment to follow Agile • Should highlight the potential organizational problems for scaling agile
- 2. Where To Start - Agile Pilot Project Selection Industry Guidance for Selecting Pilot project - 1 - Ideal Pilot Project: • Has a clearly identified and measurable business benefit – it is important enough to get attention and ensure focus • Takes 3 – 6 months to deliver • Can be delivered with one team • Business Sponsor is available, able and willing to prioritise and elaborate requirements and make timely decisions Mike Cohn “Succeeding with Agile Software Development Using Scrum” Addison-Wesley, 2010
- 3. Where To Start - Agile Pilot Project Selection Agile Pilot Project Selection Framework - 2 - Based on our Agile Consulting experience, what we have learned is that we need to look at two major aspects while selecting pilot Agile projects: • Agile Benefits (Suitability): This will cover the benefits that projects can derive or project challenges that will be addressed by adapting agile delivery. Projects with significant expected benefits should be considered for initial agile project adaption • Agile Readiness (Adaptability): This will cover the parameters that are critical for successful agile delivery. Since Agile needs significant mindset change, strong organization support is required for pilot agile projects
- 4. Where To Start - Agile Pilot Project Selection Suitability Criteria • Suitability Criteria should address the key pain areas/challenges that organization is facing and where Agile can help. • This can be identified during interview sessions for Agile Readiness Assessment For example: –Requirements are complex and or ambiguous –Managing technological Risk –Long Release Cycles - 3 -
- 5. Where To Start - Agile Pilot Project Selection Adaptability Criteria • Adaptability Criteria should address the key parameters which can be major roadblocks for agile adaption for a given organization • Again, Agile Readiness Assessment helps to identify the potential roadblocks • For example: –Senior Management commitment –Business Proxy availability –Importance of Business Idea –Team Collaboration –Technology fitment for Agile –Self Sufficient development teams –Empowered Project teams - 4 -
- 6. Where To Start - Agile Pilot Project Selection Agile Pilot Project Selection Matrix - 5 -
- 7. Where To Start - Agile Pilot Project Selection Agile Pilot Project Selection Matrix - A Sample Output - 6 -
- 8. Why Organizations Fail Adapting Agile? Summary • Agile transformation is a continuous journey and not destination • It should follow the same Agile principles. “Inspect and Adapt” • During this journey, right selection of candidate projects for agile adaption will increase the success rate, garner more support for transformation and also uncover hidden organization problems in controlled manner • Agile pilot project selection framework will be customized as per client’s environment and will help to identify the right candidates for pilot projects - 7 -
- 9. Why Organizations Fail Adapting Agile? - 8 -