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Overview
Limitations in traditional waterfall-type software development methodologies have many organizations turning to, or experimenting with the Agile Methodology for application development. However, transitioning to Agile in the Enterprise is not as straightforward as you might think, and requires specific changes to the processes, to ensure success.
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The Agile approach
The adoption of Agile Methodology is spreading beyond the realm of ISVs and into Corporate IT shops that are starting to use Agile in earnest to build their Enterprise applications. After implementing Agile in Enterprise settings for the last five years we have come to appreciate the significant differences between practicing Agile within Corporate IT versus in an ISV development shop.
Based on the experience gathered from over 600 Agile projects, OutSystems has developed and refined a repeatable way to enable the efficient and successful delivery of enterprise-scale projects using Agile Methodology.
The OutSystems approach to Agile is SCRUM based and is comprised of the 8 stages shown in the diagram on the right:
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To learn more about the specifics of each of these 8 stages, download The 8 Stages of an Agile Approach That works white paper. It includes the Agile Methodology concepts applied, the tools used and the activities conducted to successfully deliver web business applications using Agile.
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Why Go Agile?
"Adopting the Agile Platform and methodology resulted in the fastest application development project ever for XDx.”
-Stefan Meier, AD Software Development, XDx Inc.
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Here's Why Agile Pays Off
The value proposition of an Agile Methodology is that of delivering continuous business value faster and ensuring that that value lasts over time.
It is a fact of life that any software application will age: your business needs will change; your market will change; available technology will change.
Being able to continuously adapt your software applications will ensure that they stay evergreen and provide continues business value over the years. This is where Agile's value proposition really makes a difference.
The following video explains why using an Agile Methodology for the development of enterprise applications really pays off.
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By delivering a working prototype 2-4 weeks after the project starts, business users are able to experience the solution very soon in the process. As a result, they will be able to validate the main functionality and provide valuable feedback on what has been implemented and what is still missing.
In every iteration, new features will be delivered, bugs will be corrected, user feedback will be included and a new demo will be performed.
When the first final version is deployed in production, users will have seen several intermediate demos, and were involved in the whole process. The solution they get is the solution they asked for, and worked for.
From that point on, new versions of the solution will be released, to include new functionality or correct existing features - with every new version, the value of the solution will continue to grow, ensuring it remains evergreen.
In contrast, with the Waterfall Model, users will only see the solution after several months from the project start, when it will be too late to provide valuable input. Also, since every new release takes longer to deploy, the solution will become less valuable over time, and eventually reach a point where it is deemed obsolete.
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How It Works
Knowing how the methodology works is not enough to hop on the Agile bandwagon. You should carefully select the technology you are going to use, and understand the best practices that you need to follow, so that your Agile projects are under control and deliver on their promise.
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Transitioning To Agile
Agile practitioners emphasize “individuals and interactions” over “processes and tools.”
However, traditional development tools do not have the seamless integration and key features essential to support an Agile development process.
The promise of Agile cannot be fully recognized without enabling technology that shortens delivery cycles and increases software development agility, project predictability, responsiveness to business change and overall development team productivity.
 To learn more about how to effectively transition to agile taking full advantage of new technologies, download the Transitioning to Agile the Agile Way white paper.
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Best Practices To Keep in Mind
As with every methodology, there is a set of best practices that need to be religiously followed to ensure project success.
When adopting an Agile Methodology in the enterprise there are a few best practices that are specific to the corporate IT teams:
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Scoping/Sizing the real business needs;
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The importance to get the right users involved;
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Involving the trainers in the agile process;
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Balancing new functionality with usability;
 We've written down these 4 best practices in a white-paper that looks at each in detail. Download the 4 Enterprise Agile Best Practices From The Trenches white paper.
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Getting Started
Ready to adopt an Agile Methodology for application development and scale your Agile projects across the whole organization?
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At OutSystems, we've been using Agile every single day, since 2001. Our R&D team uses Agile to implement the OutSystems Agile Platform. Our IT department uses Agile do deliver our internal support applications. Our Services organization uses Agile to implement custom solutions for our customers.
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Based on our accumulated experience using Agile, we are equipped with the tools, methodology and even training to help you make a fast and easy transition to Agile.
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