How to be Agile and Unconventional - July Meetup
MMT Digital explained why Agile software development is king to get to market quickly and RealVision Television revealed their anarchic approach to Financial Advice.
How does James sell Agile to his clients? “The problem is that most companies apply the Agile framework but continue to work in a Waterfall type way. They iterate towards the solution that they originally felt that they wanted.” It’s this fixation on a predetermined end-product that leaves little room to remain competitive when keeping up with the accelerating rate of change in the marketplace. Essentially, Agile allows for a quicker offering to market by developing software faster, and at lower costs.
Breaking it down into its components, James spoke of Agile disciplines being scrums and sprints – with scrum projects split into phases of three to four sprints. The barrier is that “doing scrum as it’s actually defined usually comes into conflict with existing habits at established non-Agile organizations” says Agile Methodology. The experience results in building a good team bond, the developers are engaged and it’s a fun way to work, if you can convince your clients to engage in a disruptive process.
In a post-Fordist world it’s no longer efficient to wait for your product at the end of the line. You need to build a product you can use at each stage. As James emphasised with the car vs bikes slide, you wouldn’t necessarily want to end up with a car if a motorbike is going to be a more appropriate way to reach your destination.