Last quarter VersionOne (now CollabNet) released their 12th annual State of Agile report. This report is the largest and longest-running agile report in the world and an indicator of Agile trends.report in the world and a bellwether indicator of Agile trends. Data is sourced from a survey completed by agile practitioners from a wide spectrum of industries sharing their opinions on a wide range of topics including the benefits of agile, advice for scaling enterprise agility, and lessons learned to ensure agile transformation success. Data gathered from the survey provides insight about the adoption of agile; what new practices are emerging; and how the culture of agile is changing.
Themes and Takeaways from This Report
- Agile is expanding within the enterprise – Agile is no longer just an IT organization change event. From Lean Startups, to large traditionally bureaucratic corporations and federal agencies, individuals and teams across the spectrum of the professional world are dispelling the myth that Agile is only for technology. Higher-level planning using agile techniques is on the rise. More respondents are Product Roadmapping (46%) and Agile Portfolio Planning (35%).
- Organizations are scaling agile – Scaling agile is the new norm. Scaled Agile Framework® (SAFe®), Scrum of Scrums, Disciplined Agile Delivery (DaD), and Large-Scale Scrum (LESS) are the top four methods being used to scale agile. Use of experienced agile coaches, consistent practices and processes across teams, and the implementation of a common tool across teams are the top three factors reported to have been most helpful in scaling agile.
- DevOps initiatives are on the rise – This year’s report captured the importance respondents placed on devops. 71% of respondents no longer consider devops to be optional; reporting either adopting or planning to adopt devops within the next 12 months. Respondents cited the top measures of success for their organization’s DevOps initiatives were accelerated delivery speed (58%), improved quality (51%), flow of business value all the way to the end user (44%) and reduction of risk (41%).
- Customer satisfaction is the top metric of success – The importance of Customer/User Satisfaction as a key measurement of success increased significantly. While business value still ranks highly, Customer/User Satisfaction ranks as the top measure of success for agile initiatives (57%) and agile projects (46%). This trend parallels the growing emphasis on customer satisfaction in digital transformation initiatives.
- Agile Maturity is still a Work in Progress – Only 12% percent responded that their organizations have a high level of competency with agile practices across the organization. The good news is that 59% recognize maturity is a journey and are committed not to plateau where they are.
Want to know more?
Client Resources is the partner many clients nationwide know and trust to help plan and execute successful agile transformations. Are you in the middle of an agile transition and could use some help? Are you considering an agile transition and need a place to start? We’d love to hear from you. You can connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. To learn more about commonly used agile terms and concepts, view our agile definitions. You can also connect with me on LinkedIn and then send me a message or email gig@clientresourcesinc.com.
Tom is the Practice Director for Agile Consulting Services at Client Resources Inc in Omaha, NE. He specializes in lean, agile, and scrum helping companies catapult their market position by building extremely high performance development organizations.