As a PM I need a 5-page paper on how the relationship between IT and Business can be

impacted by Agile

Agile Methodology is an approach to project management and utilized in software development.

It uses incremental, iterative work sequences known as sprints. In other words, the demands and

solutions are evolved through a collaborative effort of self-organizing and cross-functional teams

and their customers. The Agile Manifesto comprises of four key values: individuals and

interactions over processes and tools; working software over comprehensive documentation; and

customer collaboration over contract negotiation. The most used of the many Agile Frameworks

is Scrum. It is characterized by stages of development, known as sprints, and by the

maximization of development time for a software product.

Impact of Agile Methodology on Business[ CITATION Ima18 \l 1033 ]

In today’s day and age, when it comes to running businesses, companies are switching the fast

lane of agile methodology. For example, suppose you get in your car and it starts overheating

due to some reasons. Since you have some experience in fixing cars, you decide to tinkle with it

a little bit. You get into the car, start it and then decide to do some more testing before deciding

to drive off. This is a real-life example of agile methodology. The main reason why businesses

are going agile is because of this very nature- transparent, flexible, and collaborative. Well-

known companies that use agile are Apple, IBM, Microsoft, and Procter& Gamble.

Agile business training provides organizations with an opportunity to pivot quickly at the right

time and make swift decisions, rather than following a traditional sequential process. In Agile,

there will be incremental changes throughout the software development ensuring the product to

go live quickly. In order to take quick and swift decisions along the way, Agile Business courses
enable the companies in their digital transformation journey to perform in a smooth manner and

match the Industry 4.0 wave. When a business goes agile, it gives the company an ability to

access risks as and when they appear and mitigate them as soon as possible thereby marketing

the products at a faster pace with efficient teams having digital skills/capabilities. For example,

an agile business analyst will be able to identify a glitch in the system and correct it before going

live or testing the code. Following are the top benefits of adopting an agile methodology

[ CITATION Ima18 \l 1033 ]:

Identifying Problems Early On

The ability to identify problems at every step of the process is much easier and faster with agile

methodology. Agile project teams are most efficient in performance thereby benefiting the

company overall.

Addressing Customer Needs

Customer needs are better addressed, and outputs are delivered at a faster pace in organizations

where agile is used. Agile teams are self-organized and more intuitive making swift decisions

thereby addressing the customer needs eventually leading to enhanced customer experience.

Faster Feedbacks

As per the traditional methodology such as waterfall, feedback takes longer to turnaround. On

the contrary, in agile, feedback is faster, as there are tangible milestones throughout the the

delivery process.

Improved Product Quality

In agile methodologies, the focus is not just on building features but also on driving business

value. In addition to an increase in the feedback from the customers, remove waste and

roadblocks, and ensure every batch of code is fully testable, quality improvement without

sacrificing velocity can be achieved by implementing continuous delivery. Agile methodologies

place more value on outcomes than outputs i.e., the team’s goal will focus on finding the most

efficient and simplest way to achieve client’s goals [ CITATION Ran17 \l 1033 ].

Reduced Risks

As compared to other methodologies, Agile development focuses on shorter release cycles and

more frequent deliveries. This results in a constant audit of the project quality. In addition to

reduced resources waste, agile methodology also allows early entry to hit the market leading to

generate revenue while continuously improving the product.

Thus, for any business to grow today, agile is the new now. It will not only help the companies

flourish in a digital era but also by scaling costs thereby harnessing the abundance and

embracing the risks throughout the project lifecycle.

Impact of Agile on IT

Even though Agile development is a common practice withing many leading tech companies, a

lot of the concepts are often misunderstood, misused or completely ignored. Agile software

development refers to a set of best practices, methodologies and team values that allow

organizations to quickly adapt to changing customer needs and respond to competitors, all

while solidifying team morale [ CITATION Ran17 \l 1033 ]. Here, we will see how different

various elements and practices from different Agile approaches impact and benefit the software

development process for making better products and achieve client satisfaction:
Handling Requirement Changes [ CITATION Viv18 \l 1033 ]

Requirement changes in any project lifecycle are inevitable and can occur at different times in

the software development process. Software development companies that are agile are better

equipped to handle such changes. This is because agile is incremental in nature where the agile

teams address the requirement changes at a faster pace eventually reducing the time needed for

reworking a code that is no longer required by the client. Since these software development

companies implement a continuous improvement approach, all team members are made to

inspect their assigned work by introducing continuous testing where potential problems and

mistakes are noticed at an early stage. This in turn gives the team more time to address these

issues and resolve them immediately.

Another reason why agile software companies handle requirement changes better is because

outside stakeholders are much more involved and informed on a regular basis by providing them

insights into the team working on their product thereby providing the team with their

opinions/suggestions.

Happy Team, High Performing Teams [ CITATION Ran17 \l 1033 ]

Agile is all about team collaboration and communication thereby increasing the transparency

amongst the project team members and encouraging them to do a better job by constantly

reminding them about the project goals. This increased transparency and clear goals eliminates

the need for micromanagement amongst the team members and allowing them to contribute their

best work by encouraging them to voice their ideas and opinions. This will provide the customers

with exactly what they need, and when they need it. The project team can anticipate product
changes and make realignment quickly and simultaneously work creatively to prioritize features

and efforts by working closely with key stakeholders.

Maximizing Value [ CITATION Viv18 \l 1033 ]

Software development companies go through an intricate interaction of vivid ideas and best

practices along with change in mindset thereby adding value though every step of their process.

For example, the value across the board is enhanced when a software development process takes

place within a Scrum framework. It begins with enhancing/maximizing the value of the product

or service to be delivered to the customer by releasing regular increments of a working, valuable

product thereby getting early feedback. Due to the continuous improvement approach, the project

team can identify issues and correct them immediately along with a constant involvement of the

customer throughout the project. In addition to the constant communication withing Scrum, the

transparent nature helps the team to grow, expand their skill sets and become better at what they

are doing. Thus, scrum maximizes the value of and for the team leading to enhanced customer

satisfaction and job satisfaction for employees within the organization.

References

Imarticus. (2018, November 28). What is the Impact of Agile on Business? . Retrieved from

Imarticus.com: https://blog.imarticus.org/what-is-the-impact-of-agile-methodology-on-

businesses-agile-blog/

Rangle.io. (2017, October 12). Agile Development: 3 Ways it Benefits your Business. Retrieved

from Rangle: https://rangle.io/blog/agile-development-3-ways-it-benefits-your-business/

Team, V. (2018, April 11). How Agile Practices Impact the Software Development Process.

Retrieved from Vivify Ideas: https://www.vivifyideas.com/blog/article/how-agile-

practices-impact-the-software-development-process#:~:text=Due%20to%20its

%20emphasis%20on,core%20of%20agile%20software%20development