Things get better

I was working in software development in the days when we still thought that Windows 2.01 was a big step forward. In those days developers spoke slightingly about “scope creep”, requirements changing and growing after they had been signed off. The favourite response to this was to “freeze the specification” i.e. no changes at all, “what you signed for is what we will deliver”. Given that there were likely to be changes in management, market forces, legislation, standards, technology, business direction and objectives for the system during the time it took to develop it this was an excellent way to ensure that the users did not get what they needed from the system.

Thank whichever god looks after hapless developers for coming up with Agile. I was working with agile (small “a”) back in 2000 in a project-based organization (construction company). Construction projects are intrinsically “waterfall” (you cannot iterate the requirements for an office block or shopping mall once you have started building it); however, most projects had an IT element and we also worked on the company’s own systems (including contractor management and on-line drawing sharing) so there we were able to work with the users and other stakeholders using what today we call “user stories” (“storyboards” back then). Implementing DSDM helped a lot and even though public sector and PFI projects had to be delivered using PRINCE2 we were able to blend PRINCE2:DSDM in a mix that satisfied the DfT, MoD, NHS and NAO.

In spite of some prominent hold-outs Agile is much easier to implement today, particularly under the Government Digital Agenda. What is less encouraging is the number of organisations that think that they are “agile”:

ME: “In what way are you ‘agile’”?

THEM: “We use SCRUM for software development”

ME: “How about agile succession planning”?

THEM: “Erm …”

I think it will be a few years yet before we have universal understanding (and acceptance) of the Agile Organisation but it is going in the right direction.