Nowadays, many software companies use the Agile methodology—an incremental approach to software development that breaks work into parts, providing feedback to workers based on their performance in each phase.
However, as with many things in real life, implementing Agile practically has all sorts of caveats that need to be worked out for a project to move forward. Therefore, in this article, we'll explore some successful examples of the Agile philosophy in real-life development cases using project management software.
The Agile methodology is a set of principles that dictate how a software should be developed. It’s not a series of practices, but a mindset or approach that places great importance on flexibility, teamwork and adaptability. Unlike traditional approaches to project management where everything is planned and estimated from the beginning, agile focuses on responding to changes on the fly.
There are many practices that support this mindset such as agile Scrum methadology and Kanban. While they all have their little quirks and differences, all of them ultimately follow the guiding philosophy of Agile—to constantly collaborate and work as per the demands of the product.
Today, Agile is widespread as many businesses have recognized its usefulness and thus, have implemented it. Below, we’re going to mention a few examples in project management where waterfall agile hybrid proved to be beneficial to the project:
Case 1: Toyota
Toyota is known for utilizing lean production to become a powerhouse in the automobile industry. However, in the early 2000s, the company began facing several challenges in keeping up with the rapidly changing automobile landscape. To address these challenges, Toyota began to experiment with agile methodology steps such as Scrum around 2004.
There were already a number of similarities between Toyota’s approach and Scrum, namely the emphasis on continuous improvement. Recognizing this similarity, Toyota began to work on implementing Scrum in earnest, combining aspects of Agile development with their own lean methodology.
The result of this was that Toyota experienced several benefits such as improved collaboration and greater flexibility that helped them respond faster to changes that happened in their industry.
Toyota is known for utilizing lean production to become a powerhouse in the automobile industry. However, in the early 2000s, the company began facing several challenges in keeping up with the rapidly changing automobile landscape. To address these challenges, Toyota began to experiment with agile methodology steps such as Scrum around 2004.
Case 2: VistaPrint
A global e-commerce company, VistaPrint enables small businesses to market themselves through a variety of promotional products. However, their production pipeline was slow—the company examined their workflow and found that the teams took 60 days to produce 40 hours of work.
A closer examination of this workflow revealed that the culprit was a lack of clarity regarding decisions as well as long lead times. Thus, VistaPrint decided to change their strategy and switch to Agile to counteract these problems, particularly in their approach to agile sprint processes.
With the help of Agile practices such as Kanban boards, VisaPrint managed to revamp their entire pipeline, resulting in lead time being cut down from 40 days to 15.
Case 3: JP Morgan Chase
JP Morgan is a banking giant in the banking industry—a financial titan that has several operations such as investment banking, commercial banking, asset management, etc. Recently, they revamped their workflows to clamp down on costs and improve the quality of their services. And as you may have already guessed, one of the core aspects behind this move was the Agile philosophy.
Their approach to Agile revolved around setting up small teams that were tasked to improve the product features every day. Additionally, the principles of Agile have helped the company in streamlining their process, reducing bureaucracy, and improving overall efficiency through various types of agile methodology.
Ultimately, JP Morgan Chase’s adoption of Agile has led to a windfall for their company—they are now faster and nimbler, despite being a large company with several complex processes.
It's no secret that many companies have embraced Agile, however they all did it for a variety of reasons. Some of these are the numerous benefits of agile that have been demonstrated across industries.
Rapid Response To Change
Scaled Agile allows teams to quickly pivot in response to market shifts, customer feedback, or unexpected challenges. Toyota, for example, was having a hard time keeping up with the changing landscape of the automobile industry. Adopting Scrum, however, helped them keep up with the rest of the market.
Reduced Risk
Breaking down projects into smaller increments leads to risks being identified and thus, mitigated earlier in the process. This proactive method of risk management helps keep the project afloat and ensures greater chances of success.
Enhanced Teamwork
Agile helps in creating a collaborative environment where team members work closely together. Frameworks such as Scrum and Kanban require cooperation and coordination on many tasks, leading to greater teamwork and a better understanding of agile terms among all participants.
Faster Decision Making
Decisions are made quickly and efficiently through regular communication and feedback. In the case of VistaPrint, one reason for long lead times was the lack of clear, timely decisions. However, this issue was resolved when VistaPrint adopted Kanban, which not only facilitated the production pipeline, but also got clear decisions on time.
Continuous Improvement
Agile emphasizes continuous Agile testing and feedback, leading to higher-quality products. With continuous improvement, companies can deliver projects that have greater customer value than ones that are not constantly iterated and improved on. JP Morgan Chase’s case is a prime example of this commitment to continuous improvement as the company was able to produce products with much higher quality than before.
Once again, like with many things in life, there is no one-size-fits-all option here. Choosing the best Agile project management software framework primarily depends on a variety of factors such as:
- Type Of Project: Project size and complexity play a vital role in determining whether the framework will suit the project or not. Additionally, projects where the requirements are uncertain lend themselves naturally to lean agile methodology instead of projects where everything is predefined.
- Team Composition: Team structure also plays an important part in deciding whether an Agile method is necessary or not, as different team members work well within different methods
- Framework Strengths: Despite sharing the same philosophy, all frameworks have their various strengths and weaknesses. For example, Scrum is great for iterating on a product, Kanban works well for facilitating progress, etc. The agile tools used also play a part in determining whether a framework will be effective or not
With these points in mind, a project manager must determine for themselves which Crystal Agile methodology plays to their strengths the best.
