Scaling Agile to Create “Frictionless IT”
By: Ryan S.
Tags: Strategy, Agile, Product Management, Innovation, Software Development

Scaling Agile to Create “Frictionless IT”

How Enterprises Can Work Differently in the Digital Era

Creating a modern and flexible operating model for IT is no easy feat. Many technology organizations are still operating as a “service provider” to their business units, rather than a strategic partner. The moment this model becomes a problem is often when the business begins to move quickly or veer from the plan. For most companies undergoing a digital transformation, that time is happening now.

The foundation of much of enterprise IT is the budget under which they operate. Unfortunately, in many organizations, technology teams are still simply looked at as a cost centre. This means they are seen as not contributing to the profit of the business. This is amplified when the tech teams themselves have this mindset.

In these organizations, traditional IT planning likely occurs annually, with fixed budgets allocated to a combination of projects and maintenance. The planning process is likely onerous, involving iterations of prioritization alongside business partners until a solid baseline of work is established. Then, the planned projects are resourced and work begins. Projects usually relate to an application or system — either enhancements to something that exists or delivery of something new.

On top of this, a lot of organizations are still using traditional project management methodologies (read: waterfall) to deliver on planned work. Ramp up takes time. Roles are rigid. Requirement gathering is painful. Then, with requirements established, infrastructure needs to be stood up. In large organizations, this is likely a lengthy process involving estimation, order forms, and eventually, provisioning. For SaaS delivery, contract negotiations and vendor alignment to organizational processes are often time-consuming.

But what happens if the business now changes their mind? What if the business needs to deliver something quickly? What if the business partners want to experiment with a technology?

Leaders in the digital era have recognized that tech teams are not only increasingly becoming a strategic partner for the business, but a major profit centre to deliver value. For these companies, IT is looking at the success of start-ups and tech giants and replicating their norms at an enterprise scale.

Most companies undergoing a transformation will recognize that transforming the IT operating model to be more flexible and nimble is a pre-requisite and critical factor for successful delivery in the digital era.

However, large companies will often have a mix of agile and digital maturity within their technology orgs — early adopters who implemented new models and structures during the onset of the company’s transformation, and laggards who desperately need to catch up. This is a result of many factors including the business they support, the demographics of their workforce, skills, funding, and overall organizational culture.

Those groups who are looking to catch up need to transform themselves across multiple dimensions in order for Agile to work at scale.