Digital transformation through agile methodology

By: Thiago Luiz Moretti Alvarenga.

We live in the era of digital transformation, some countries are more evolved than others, but the fact is: we are all being impacted by this global transformation, which, in addition to changing organizational models, processes, and competencies, aims to improve the way of doing business.

 

To accompany this movement and not lose competitive advantage, companies have sought methodologies that contribute to the disruption of product development processes to satisfy and exceed customer expectations with continuous solutions that generate value.

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According to Pressman (2011), in the way the current market is configured, where everything changes very quickly, being agile is a necessity to achieve objectives. The methodology emerged to break some software engineering paradigms, that is, to make development processes faster and, as a result, reduce documentation, deliver work in parts and meet established delivery deadlines.

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In this sense, Cohn (2011) states that many companies are trying to make their development teams more agile, as they tend to introduce their products to the market much faster, mainly taking into account customer satisfaction with the requirements and objectives of the product.

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Agile models have different formats, however, they are governed by the same principles so that they always have as a goal the least number of bureaucratic processes and greater fluidity. Summarizing these principles, Beck et al. (2011) present four premises: Individuals and interaction between them more than processes and tools; Working software rather than comprehensive documentation; Collaboration with the client more than contract negotiation; responding to change rather than following a plan.

 

Audy (2015) reports that Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber came together in 1995 to formalize the Scrum method. Sabbagh (2013) says that Scrum is a simple tool used for managing complex products, making interactive and incremental deliveries to reduce project risks and failures.
 

To implement the agile methodology it is necessary to be very careful not to make comfortable adaptations, escaping the purpose and the proposed dynamics. The methodology must encourage and provoke to generate meaningful movement and deliverables. Therefore, the cultural and mentality change of each participant in the process, and especially the leadership, is what will make the difference to achieve success.

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And speaking of people, the agile methodology requires the composition of diverse teams committed to the business and customer satisfaction. That is another challenge for organizations because to compose such teams we need the roles of each member well defined, and we need employees aligned with the company culture, motivated, and engaged. Without people, there is no methodology. And without methodology, there is no delivery of value.

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To reach a level of engagement, commitment, alignment, and preparation, it is also necessary to invest in knowledge. That is, to train and develop everyone in the organization. However, there will be no digital transformation, implementation of agile methodology, team training, or culture change, without the acquisition of technological tools that enable the execution of all these fronts.

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BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES

 

AUDY, Jorge. Scrum 360 - Um guia completo e prático de agilidade. Casa do Código. São Paulo/SP, 2015

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BECK, K. et al. Os doze princípios do software ágil. [S.l:s.n], 2011. Available in: <http://www.manifestoagil.com.br/principios.html>. Accessed on: Oct. 22, 2021.

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COHN, Mike. Desenvolvimento de Software com Scrum: Aplicando métodos ágeis com sucesso. Porto Alegre: Bookman Companhia Editora Ltda., 2011.

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PRESSMAN, Roger S. Engenharia de Software – Uma Abordagem Profissional. Ed. Bookman; 7th edition. Porto Alegre, 2011.

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SABBAGH, Rafael. Scrum – Gestão Ágil para Projetos de Sucesso. Casa do Código. São Paulo/SP, 2013.

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