80% of IT Software Projects FAIL....Now we have Agile!?
Paul Swettenham
Principal IT Recruitment Consultant / Owner & Founder at Sunstone Talent
When I started in the IT industry around Y2K it was readily quoted that 80% of IT projects did NOT achieve what they set out to accomplish. That's a lot of blood, sweat and tears let alone a LOAD OF DOSH.....WASTED on siginificant IT projects.
And time and time again I would interview Devs, PM's, BA's, Testers who wanted out of waterfall projects - 'Paul this project has failed - get me out of here'!
That was a fairly common theme until about 5 years ago when things started to CHANGE.......BUT WHY?
THE AGILE MANIFESTO
In February 2001, 17 software developers met at the Snowbird, Utah ski resort, to discuss lightweight development methods. They published the Manifesto for Agile Software Development to define the approach now known as agile software development. Some of the manifesto's authors formed the Agile Alliance, a non-profit organisation that promotes software development according to the manifesto's values and principles.
AGILE VALUES
The Agile Manifesto reads as follows:
We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value:
- Individuals and interactions over Processes and tools
- Working software over Comprehensive documentation
- Customer collaboration over Contract negotiation
- Responding to change over following a plan
AGILE PRINCIPLES
The Agile Manifesto is based on twelve principles:
- Customer satisfaction by rapid delivery of useful software
- Welcome changing requirements, even late in development
- Working software is delivered frequently (weeks rather than months)
- Close, daily cooperation between business people and developers
- Projects are built around motivated individuals, who should be trusted
- Face-to-face conversation is the best form of communication (co-location)
- Working software is the principal measure of progress
- Sustainable development, able to maintain a constant pace
- Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design
- Simplicity—the art of maximizing the amount of work not done—is essential
- Self-organizing teams
- Regular adaptation to changing circumstances
So why the MASSIVE change? Why has AGILE had such an impact on software project delivery?
***It understands changing requirements frequently as requirements are rarely correct from the start due to a number of reasons, i.e. we wanted what Bob's department got! We're just going to start the project. So & So in the market have got this. Not probing deep enough to solve the business problem or requirement. This leads to weak requirements. Customers don't often know what they want until they see it!
***it focuses on OUTCOME NOT PROCESS!
***It considers changing market conditions - the business doesn't require that anymore!
***Changes in technology - for a 12, 18 month, 2, 3 year project, technology changes extremely quickly
***It engages the customer / end-user to give regular and relevant feedback!
If you're going to FAIL....FAIL FAST!
So what we get is Happier customers, Happier stakeholders and Happier techies getting to see some SOFTWARE built that adds really great value to the business!
Paul is founder & director of Christchurch, New Zealand IT Recruitment company www.sunstonetalent.com
Director - PMO and Operations| PMI PMO and Project Awards Judge| Expert in Programme & Project Management, PMO Setup & Maintenance | Assisting You to Lead Successful Projects, Programmes & Establish Robust PMOs
10 年Agile and Waterfall both have great things to offer. There are so many factors that contribute to a successful project delivery: having the right methodology for the right project is one of them.
Senior Tech Lead & Manager @ Capgemini | Leading AI-Assisted Full-Stack Development
10 年Chris Saunders I am the one who never worked on waterfall model :)
Leader in Making
10 年Agile certainly does have benefits in principle. But I am not convinced of it being the go to methodology for software development. As a Project Manager having worked in Software Testing, I have seen projects succeed and fail. And those that have failed have done so entirely because the business case was not bedded down sufficiency at the beginning of the project - and in some cases, the business case not being maintained throughout the life-cycle of the project. And indeed that requires regular customer feedback. However this is not an agile principle as this principle exists in regular project management. As an extension to why I think most projects fail, in my opinion it is because most projects are being led not by project managers, but by some other entity in an organisation that has to assume the role of a project manager without: 1. the appropriate support / authority needed by the Project Manager and 2. the appropriate knowledge of project management methodologies I don't think that the large numbers of software projects that fail do so because they use a waterfall model rather than agile. From my experience, projects fails largely because of the project management structure around them. Some projects are not suited for agile while some are. Thus agile is not the go to go methodology for all software development as its being currently promoted. If sufficient criteria is met, than a project must be managed in an agile manner. But all of that hinges on having a competent project office that is allowed to manage a project.