5 Reasons Why Agile Fails and How You Can Prevent It

Agile software development has been the talk of the town in the IT development industry and for a good enough reason.

The increased scope of meeting deadlines, faster product roll-out, cost-effectiveness and time efficiency that it brings to the table have made it a favourite amongst tech leaders.

Yet agile software development isn’t as facile and seamless as it seems. There are times when loopholes arise in the development process that cause the downfall of the entire product.

These are the times when agile fails. In this blog, we’ll highlight why agile fails and how you can prevent it.

TOC:

• Introduction
• What is Agile Development?
• Benefits of Agile Development
• 5 Reasons Why Agile Fails & How To Prevent It
• Conclusion

What is Agile Development?

Agile is a continuous software development technique that allows requirements to be provided throughout the process rather than all at once at the conclusion. The three pillars of this approach to software development are collaboration with clients, teamwork, and flexibility. The Agile methodology also provides a framework for ongoing changes to be made during the different stages of the software development process. Many well-known businesses use the agile methodology to improve their operations, most notably Microsoft, Cisco, and AT&T. Agile enables these firms to keep up with the rapid technological progress.

Benefits of Agile Development

• Outstanding Adaptability: Continuous deployment and frequent changes enable development teams to alter or rearrange requirements as the project moves forward. Agile teams are able to respond to changes fast and tailor their products to satisfy client needs.
• Reduced Risk: Testing performed at the end of each sprint allows development teams to identify issues immediately and address them before they become more serious issues. Thanks to the quick feedback methods, teams can assess their hypotheses and identify what genuinely provides value for the user.

5 Reasons Why Agile Fails & How To Prevent It

• Unable to Implement Agile: The transition to Agile project management approaches typically happens gradually. Depending on the scale of the organisation, many Agile teams may be formed each quarter to continuously review and enhance the deployment process. However, some firms are unable to achieve this level of structure and coordination because their culture rejects ideas like sudden regulations and emphasises customer collaboration. In a significant Agile poll performed by the State of Agile, 44% of practitioners reported this as the reason why Agile projects failed. The only way to tackle this failure would be by implementing a culture that welcomes the onboarding of teams with increasing and decreasing workloads rather than based on current hiring trends.
• Poor Communication Infrastructure: Agile is all about accelerating decision velocity, communicating clearly, and effectively exchanging information. Agile methodologies frequently mention “siloed teams” as something to avoid because it is exactly what Agile seeks to combat. However, in some organisations, communication channels between teams and levels of management simply do not exist; employees are unsure of who to contact or how to do so. Agile project management cannot succeed if communication breaks down. This issue can be tackled by using productivity apps and communication tools such as Asana, Slack, Google Chat, Microsoft Teams, etc., as they will not only enable a sense of clarity but also streamline processes.
• Lack of Management Support: Getting managers on board with the Agile methodology is one of the biggest hurdles. Agile argues for a more decentralised decision-making process, where individual teams and units are given the freedom to make the decisions they feel qualified to make. A manager’s authority may be seen as being undermined by this lack of control, which also demonstrates their misinterpretation of Agile’s decision to delegate authority to those who are qualified and in a position to utilise it. Leaders at the top of the chain must be the ones to tackle this issue with tact and poise. Explaining to managers the nooks and crannies of agile by organizational leaders is one way to go about it.
• Resistance at the Grassroots-level: Sometimes teams may not agree with the new techniques that they are being bombarded with; it may also be that not everyone wants to assume greater responsibility at the team level. A significant barrier to the successful adoption of Agile can be the inability to adjust to a new pace of work and/or new technologies. For this, team members must be taken into confidence and given the time to adapt to agile. A manager/leader who can guide them effortlessly through such rapid changes would be critical.
• Collaborative Teams not Being Fruitful: It’s one thing to advise that a multi-skilled group of people form a team, but quite another to persuade them to harness that collaborative energy to increase production. In Agile, a PM’s primary responsibility is to make sure the team is functioning well, which calls for a skilful fusion of personal and professional abilities. Otherwise, one of the primary justifications for adopting Agile won’t be worthwhile. Thus, be sure to outsource agile software development teams taking into consideration every role especially that of a Project Manager as he will be the one to lead the charge and make your projects fruitful.

Conclusion

Agile software development can be tricky business if all the stakeholders are not on the same page. Netsmartz too provides agile software development teams that can churn out elegant software solutions for companies across the globe. Get in touch with us today to learn more.