Is Agile a silver bullet to solve all problems related to solution delivery and ensure that organisations get value from their projects? If your answer to that question is “yes”, then my next question is how? Is it because the business and IT/projects are suddenly talking to each other? Is it because we’re more focused on customer outcomes? Are the practices and ceremonies that form part of a typical Agile implementation resulting directly in better results?
Under a Waterfall or traditional approach, nobody ever said that the business and IT shouldn’t work together. Nowhere was it stated that extensive documentation was going to guarantee success. Or that a detailed MSProject schedule was required to obtain a successful outcome. That was just stuff we did in an attempt to “do it right”. I’d argue that it was our interpretation and implementation that constrained us…. we forgot to focus on why we were doing something and became obsessed by ticking the boxes.
So what about an Agile approach? Have you ever heard someone say “Agile says you must…..” or “you’re not doing Agile if you’re not…”? I have. I sometimes fear we are just changing the boxes we are ticking and expecting this will suddenly enable us to better satisfy business needs. Instead of having to complete a Business Requirements Document or Project Management Plan, we now have to do daily stand-ups, retrospectives and user stories. Are we still too focused on “doing it right” – this time through Agile ceremonies, practices and tools – instead of on why we are doing it? Are we being rigid instead of agile?
So, do I believe that Agile is a silver bullet? No. If the question is can it cut through complexity, my answer is “yes, through a process of learning”. But, do I think that it can be done immediately and with little effort? My answer is a resounding “no”. An organisation needs to put a lot of effort into determining the motivation for adopting an Agile approach, putting in place the structures, processes and culture to sustain it and equipping the people for the road ahead. It’s relatively easy to implement a whole lot of practices and even to do them well. It’s a lot harder to think about how they contribute to delivering the outcomes that our businesses require.
I challenge you to consider how you think of Agile. Let’s not have the next generation of project practitioners and business leaders say that Agile failed to deliver only to start looking for the next silver bullet.
Post by Colin Garlick