I am very proud of this (pdf) white paper which I’ve co-written with a couple of my Vision colleagues.
The paper is aimed directly at senior IT management and their customers, and focuses on the whats and whys of Agile, rather than the nitty-gritty hows. It includes stuff you won’t find in the books.
If you like the paper then please pass it on. It may just help you to sell agile to your own management and even your customers.
Why Your Business Needs Agile Software Development
– Flexing IT to meet your business needs
by Ricky Morton, Callum Lindsay and Clarke Ching, VISION Consulting
Executive Summary
Organisations must be agile and responsive to prosper in today’s fast-changing business environment. They must swiftly adapt their products and processes respond to their customers’ changing needs. As software becomes increasingly integral to their efficiency and effectiveness, many organisations are discovering the biggest hurdle to their business agility is the development processes used their IT departments.
At least 45% of features and functions built into the average software product are never used
In many organisations, the legacy of early software productivity initiatives remains entrenched. The Waterfall - or V - model, its processes and associated behaviours, continue to be widely employed in IT departments despite the barriers it raises to change and innovation, well-documented rates of project failure and widespread customer dissatisfaction.
Modern approaches, based around iterative and incremental delivery, are designed to efficiently adapt to change throughout a project’s lifecycle. They based on quality techniques proven in product development and deliver levels flexibility and responsiveness previously unachievable in software development.
By adopting these Agile approaches, organisations can respond swiftly to customer needs, speed solution delivery and adapt efficiently to change.
