Agile Transformation: How to deal with software development challenges

An agile transformation is an act of forming software development teams, building backlogs, and producing tested software products. Read the article to know more.

Agile methodology in the custom software development project has been popular throughout organizations to implement projects quickly.  Before understanding the definition of agile transformation, we should identify the needs of agile transformation. Agile is the ability to move and think or even coordinate fashion in the world of custom software development. One of the purposes of adopting and transforming to Agile methodology is working and ensuring quality software.

As related to software development projects that dedicated software development teams consider, Agile has the synonym for Scrum, Kanban, and other frameworks. However, it is an incorrect and misunderstanding approach to present what it means to be agile. The article has provided the guidelines for agile transformation to solve the custom software development challenges.

What is agile transformation?

Agile transformation is a process of transitioning a whole organization to a reactive way based on agile principles. Understanding agile transformation starts with adopting agile software development methodology. Meanwhile, firms undergo agile transformation regardless of Scrum, Lean, etc, agile transformation is a much larger concept than just changing and building the software.

In the software development business, dedicated software development teams have applied traditional software development projects and methods. Methodologies might pose risk since the stakeholders don’t in the software application solutions. With the initial concepts and actual products, the priorities and requirements might change. It has led to failures in custom software development projects.

To face failures, firms have adopted agile methods that support the continuous improvement of software products flexibly. By adapting to agile transformation steps, a dedicated software development team collaborates with stakeholders to develop iteratively.

The importance of agile transformation

Agile methodology is not simply a process. Doing the agile transformation steps doesn’t guarantee results. With Agile, a dedicated software development team is starting a movement in the custom software development project. Making people work together effectively needs a code of ethics in which people understand what is possible or acceptable.

When software developers are working in the same code of ethics, there is no need for transformation. Over the past few years, over 50% of senior executives mentioned the increase in their organization’s level of agility. It allows the agile transformation strategy to be implemented in a top-down manner and works best if used in a bottom-up.

If a dedicated software development team can implement the agile transformation correctly, it can bring numerous benefits such as:

• Reducing errors during the custom software development project. Thanks to the effective cooperation between testers and a dedicated software development team.
• Boosting effective communication engagement in the team.
• Controlling costs and reducing risks.
• It takes a shorter time to market and poses flexibility in the software development products.
• Change without disrupting the software development process.
• Complete transparency
• Boost healthy organizational culture with more self-reliant workers.

A guide to Agile transformation steps

Like undertakings, the agile transformation strategy starts setting goals through agile transformation steps. The agile transformation roadmap with necessary adjustments is essential to software development projects on track while being realistic.

1. Embracing agile mindset to understand roles and responsibilities

The first agile transformation step should be addressing the organization’s existing structures. Collaboration and communication are the pillars of Agile methodology that has started precedence. A dedicated software development team takes the responsibility to guide other members and influence them towards adopting changes. It’s getting to embrace the agile mindset to communicate and collaborate towards obtaining a common goal. The agile transformation helps assign roles and responsibilities to change the perspective of a dedicated software development team. Here are some tips to ensure the implementation of the agile mindset:

• Running meetings in various forms such as standups, backlog refinements, etc.
• Strong leadership in the dedicated software development team ensures a new path for software development projects. It avoids that no one can stick to the older approaches. So team lead takes various roles regardless of being an enabler, a coach, a guide, etc.
• Set goals and see how each software development team member performs. It helps to understand the loopholes and creates an agile transformation strategy to solve challenges.

2. Agile methodology coaching

The second agile transformation step assigns agile coaches to help spread awareness in the agile frameworks and agile practices. Agile frameworks consist of a scrum, kanban, crystal, etc. However, having an understanding of Agile practices is essential.

• Retrospectives: Analyzing custom software development projects to refer to lessons during the phases of software development product.
• Sprints: Time-boxed period allows a dedicated software development team to meet pre-decided segments of the fundamental goals.
• User Stories and Epics in Agile: User stories define the features of the software development product process. If those features are getting large, it’s called epic.
• Lead time: Lead time is the amount of time spent between requirements and their fulfillment.
• Minimum Viable Product (MVP): MVP is a fundamental version that is launching in the market. It supports essential features which identify the software development product. 
• Scrum artifacts: Three scrum artifacts consist of the sprint backlog, product backlog, and burndown charts.

An agile coach ensures that everyone learns how Agile transformation works at a holistic level. The coaches are introducing the DevOps culture that works closely with Agile transformation and methodologies. If you are using Agile methodology, hiring a dedicated software development team ensures the software development product gets delivered.

3. Introducing Agile transformation tooling stack

Remote work setups are forming a new normal, so the need to adopt Agile transformation has grown. Introducing an agile transformation tooling stack is the next agile transformation step that supports a dedicated software development team.

4. Building an effective agile transformation roadmap

a. Setting goals for agile transformation

Establishing goals for agile transformation is a good practice to know where software development companies stand technologically and culturally. It helps software developers to get a vision and goals for Agile transformation management. Leadership skills play a vital role in agile transformation during custom software development projects. These visions guide a dedicated software development team to achieve final goals.

b. Laying down milestones and transformation achievable dates

How long will an agile transformation take? An agile transformation takes years to execute since it has to change how people think, perceive, and act. The perfect agile transformation timeline falls within 12 and 24 months. You start making small changes in the organization’s culture, and the custom software development practices towards bigger goals. The ideal way to obtain goals breaks larger goals into smaller parts, so people can implement this agile transformation in a shorter time.

c. Defining the cross-functional setup for other team members

Setting up the agile transformation roadmap addresses functional silos in which people are working collaboratively to obtain common goals. Thus, it can be the biggest agile transformation challenge to see how dedicated software development teams are working for years. Nevertheless, assigning roles and responsibilities is a starting point for changes.

d. Identifying objectives and key results

Using metrics for agile transformation strategy holds precedence since it tracks progress and reorganizes the approach if the expectations don’t meet. Defining objectives and key results play an important role in the way to agile transformation. Besides, it builds a result-focused culture by laying down objectives and metrics. Clarifying your end goal and evaluating the progress on the way ensures your dedicated software development team does not go off track.

5. Embracing the mindset of the product over the project

Preferring the mindset of products over the project is another essential part of agile transformation. Agile transformation promotes continuous integration and delivery in the custom software development process. Following a mindset of the product means that a dedicated software development team keeps maintaining and delivering value through the software life cycle.

6. Test and learn

You have a dedicated software development team where everyone knows their roles and responsibilities. Agile methodology helps them to follow and track the agile transformation strategy. It’s an ideal time to ensure that everything works out well and define the impediments. In the sprint cycle, software engineers see how the software development process turns out to be. Besides, it identifies shortcomings and reworks the agile transformation strategy for continuous improvement. Being an ideal agile transformation is not a goal, stead of that we focus on practicing and learning.

7. Validating the agile transformation 

Organizations claim to use agile transformation entirely; however, many of them are still agile in name only. It allows us to rewire the agile transformation strategy. For example, software engineers start with early-stage agile by taking steps to obtain successful agile transformation. You’ll see how small changes turn out following agile transformation steps. It’s essential to identify agile in name only from real agile by considering these factors:

• There is no ongoing communication with clients and even end-users while creating a software product.
• The firms have no feedback and shipping loops.
• Requirements are not correct at all in the agile software development life cycle.
• The conventional software development process is prevalent at some stages.

Agile transformation challenges

Successful agile transformation is a considerate paradigm shift for those engaged in unsettling in a conventional environment. Agile transformation is a long-term process, often spanning years, and doesn’t involve long enough for complete implementation.

Leadership changes can detail the agile transformation or undo some enacts completely since new leadership might not lean on its merits. Besides, the new leadership agrees to a decentralized structure or devotes the required time and resources. Lacking a continuous commitment and urgency of the agile transformation challenges for a dedicated software development team in their projects.

Unclear agile transformation vision is one of the main agile transformation challenges that you might know. Why do you need to transform? The transformation vision is not the same as your business’ missions although they are intertwined. Your survival is a must, so you ensure the agile transformation strategy needs to inspire other members of a dedicated software development team to keep moving forward.

Communicating the core value of agile transformation to employees is another agile transformation challenge since the transformation spans beyond the software development product.

Defining the agile transformation strategy to solve challenges

Agile transformation strategy needs to address specific needs. Software developers define where you are in the agility in various roles, and workflow processes, and understand the market and clients. Why does the organization transform to be more agile?

The agile transformation strategy provides guidelines for long-term goals. You might need to consider:

• The timeline for obtaining key milestones. You want to see quick wins first to build momentum for the initiative’s agile transformation strategy.
• Technologies enable you to achieve goals, and where the technology stack is today.
• A communication and change management strategy to maintain the momentum and facilitate the feedback loops.

Agile transformation roadmap

Every transformation is different but an agile transformation strategy for transforming will have common features:

• Analyzing the organization regardless of technology, and culture in the market.
• Discover what the organization wants to be in the future.
• Firms pilot a mini-transformation in the area of the business to gain learning.
• A communication strategy for those affected directly and indirectly by the rest of the firms.
• A change management strategy for supporting the dedicated software development teams who will be living and working with parameters.
• Training, coaching, and consulting allow the members of a dedicated software development team to make intended initiatives.

Waterfall to agile transformation

The word “waterfall” refers to innovation, the first iteration of a consistent process for a custom software development process. The waterfall is based on the thinking visualizations of value such as Scrum, etc. Scrum allows a dedicated software development team to do the impossible things such as releasing value to end-users within two weeks. Delivering anything of value to end-users at any time is impossible.

Agile transformation is the difference. Traditionally, software engineers deliver a finished software product at the end of the process. Scrum is not synonymous with Agile but offers an approach to it. Scrum, as an agile transformation example, is an increment of customer value delivered at the end of the sprint.

Waterfall thinking is the opposite. You will design everything first including all controls in the iron triangle, and execute the plan without any changes. We see the result of the agile transformation strategy. For example, the project goes out of scope, and over budget. None uses features since they don’t want to ask which features to make. Many people are still using the waterfall.

Agile methodology isn’t for all types of organizations. For instance, Agile isn’t ideal for stable and highly predictable environments in which people don’t create new knowledge. Agile is necessary in a tech-savvy world for its uncertain, complex, and ambiguous ways.

How to implement a successful agile transformation

Leadership

Conventional industrial age management doesn’t perform in a modern and digital organization of knowledge workers. The leadership in the agile transformation strategy supports the emergence of organizational constructs, enabling companies to adapt to the constant changes.

Organization

The capabilities of any organization will be embedded within its structures, policies, and practices with cultural beliefs and individual mental models.

Product and business

Let’s see how the agile transformation strategy is implemented in the custom software development process? What is the connection between the agile transformation strategy and daily custom software development? The business and the reception of software products are revealing much here.

Delivery

Concentrating on practices and the custom software development processes of a dedicated software development team delivers successful agile transformation. The agile transformation aims to deliver high-quality software value to end-users quickly and in technical execution practices.

To promote the chances of a successful agile transformation, a firm must invest in understanding its system regardless of how it works and not working. They need to consider the human resources that are needed for an agile transformation strategy. Leaders cannot act this alone, thus agile transformation calls everyone in a dedicated software development team to action, and to follow its core value.

The Bottom Line

Being an agile transformation business doesn’t mean using tools or off-the-shelf programs. Thus, agile transformation strategy is an organizational behavior regardless of learning, executing, and refining over time. However, adopting a truly agile transformation culture might be tough. Agile transformation examples provide much effort to expose inefficiencies for a dedicated software development team amongst delivery organizations. As a software development company in Vietnam, Adamo has created an agile transformation strategy to solve software development challenges.