Agile -- the software-defined meaning of Agile, that is -- has been a thing since for almost two decades now, since the creation of the game-changing Agile Manifesto[1]. (And yes, I'm finally using that awful term "game-changing" in a post, because in this case, it was.)
Are we holding true to the principles of Agile, as described in the manifesto? Are we finally "uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it"? Are we finally valuing "individuals and interactions over processes and tools"?
Hmm. Maybe -- everyone is trying their best. But we do seem to be more sprint-like in our delivery, delivering working software frequently, "from a couple of weeks to a couple of months [2020 update -- a couple of hours], with a preference to the shorter timescale."
But culture eats strategy -- even the most well-intentioned Agile strategy -- for breakfast, and burps it up before lunch. What vexes Agile efforts the most are organizational resistance to change, inadequate management support and sponsorship, and organizational culture at odds with Agile values. Add to that a lack of participation from business leaders.
This is the key finding from the just-released 14th State of Agile survey[2], which finds progress in Agile methodologies, but still much work to do. The survey, published by Digital.ai, included the responses of 1,121 software development managers, developers and project leaders.
The most pronounced obstacles to achieving a truly Agile software shop include the following:
- General organization resistance to change 48%
- Not enough leadership participation 46%
- Inconsistent processes and practices across teams 45%
- Organizational culture at odds with Agile values 44%
- Inadequate management support and sponsorship