Embracing agile strategy


Agile vs. Waterfall strategy side-by-side comparison table

"Agile is something you are, not something you do. If you take nothing else from all these words, take this. Agile is not a checklist, methodology, or a series of rituals. Agile is a way of thinking and a way of attacking problems. Embrace mistakes, learn, and keep trying. Mess up and learn again and again and again. Cut your losses. Fail forward fast. It's okay. You won't get fired. You're learning. That is Agile."

(18F: https://agile.18f.gov/agile-is-something-you-are/)

The meaning of Agile 

Influencers, innovators, and disruptors talking Agile from any on-net appliance only increase entropy. They praise something that is not well-defined or explained. 

Still, every enterprise wants or claims to be agile to fit the Industry 4.0 agenda. We take this as a given despite the confusion with basic definitions. Please refer to this post to view our take on the hot topic of definitions of Agile.

Out of dozens of possible explanations of Agile, the most appealing to us is the one by Atlassian: "You're only as #agile as your ability to ship frequently and without drama."

Every organization becomes agile for a short period when a big boss demands miracles. Suddenly, the governance becomes not that rigid, watchdogs - not that bloodthirsty, and the band of stakeholders plays rapidly and smoothly. The only problem is that miracles only happen occasionally.

Waterfall vs. agile strategy

Perhaps embracing agility could be easier by breaking this multidimensional concept into smaller, distinctive pieces. Any fragment brings valuable ideas that could be implemented without a "paradigm shift." 

Let's try to cut the adaptable strategy into edible chunks. 

The traditional ("waterfall") strategies are made as if we are to escape from Grimpen Mire, where we only know the first and the last steps. So, we jump into the unknown driven by intuition and stay on a predefined course unless drowning. 

We revisit these strategies annually, sometimes to declare the end of the current course. Then we start a new cycle still favoring the certainty and accuracy of underlying assumptions.

The agile strategy assumes a somewhat different approach: 
  • frequent reviews and adjustments, 
  • post-factum hypothesis ("retrospectives") 
  • granular roadmaps and iterative performance checks, 
  • self-organized teams empowered to change the direction, exercise fit-for-purpose governance, etc.
Please look at the summary table and tell if the agile strategy is meaningful, realistic, and achievable. At least, it seems so. 

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More information on this and other exciting topics can be found in "The Technology Procurement Handbook." It represents 23 years of experience, billions of dollars worth of successful sourcing projects, and 1000s of hours spent on research, analysis, and content creation for the most demanding professional readers.
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