Image Source: CollabNet VersionOne, 13. state of agile report, https://www.stateofagile.com/
Introduction
CollabNet VersionOne's annual State of Agile Report provides insights into the agile practices of organizations around the world and is the longest running global study on agile. The results are very worth reading and can be found regularly as a reference in agile trainings. The full report can be viewed here.
You can find the most important findings from this year's survey in this article
Agile practices mature all over the world
- According to the study, “97% of respondents report their organizations practice agile development methods.”
- When asked for how long, the answers were <1year (10%), 1-2 years (23%), 3-5 years (34%) and 5+ years (27%)
Image Source: CollabNet VersionOne, 13. state of agile report, https://www.stateofagile.com/
Of course this does not tell about the quality of the agile practices created, but it clearly shows, that agile is getting more and more mature and “inevitable” in today’s software and tech-driven-businesses.
What are the reasons behind the introduction of agile methods?
Image copyright: CollabNet VersionOne, 13. state of agile report, https://www.stateofagile.com/
- The number one reason for adopting agile still is “accelerating software delivery” compared to last year’s survey.
- The number one reason is then followed by “Enhance ability to manage changing priorities” (62%), “Increase productivity” (51%) and “improve business/IT alignment” (50%),
Introduction of agile methods in the reality check
The following chart shows the perceived advantages of agile methods after these have been introduced in the company.
Image copyright: CollabNet VersionOne, 13. state of agile report, https://www.stateofagile.com/
In my opinion, this section offers some interesting insights into the reasons for introducing agile methods: Comparing the reasons why agile methods were introduced with the the advantages of agile methods that have actually been experienced, it is possible to draw some interesting conclusions. (see the following graph) The very different weightings of the responses clearly show that some of the advantages of agile methods are not known in the beginning, but prove to be an advantage during continuous use. As for example, only 34% of respondents stated improved team morale as a reason for introduction, whereas 64% state this as an actual perceived benefit after the introduction. Also "Project visibility" is an outsider among the initial reasons (42%). However, it comes in second when asking the participants about the perceived advantages of agile methods in daily use. (65%). The following graph contrasts all reasons
for the introduction of agile methods (left) with the actual benefits experienced (right side).
Methods
When it comes to the methods used at team level, SCRUM dominates the ranking with 54% using it as their method of choice.
Image copyright: CollabNet VersionOne, 13. state of agile report, https://www.stateofagile.com/
Scaled agile methods
Talking about scaled agile, the SAFe framework is the leading choice for companies around the globe. Still the answers are much more fragmented as when it comes to the team level (SCRUM), as scaled agile is still on the rise and hasn’t matured yet they way SCRUM has.
Image copyright: CollabNet VersionOne, 13. state of agile report, https://www.stateofagile.com/
When scaling agile, the top reported issues that organizations face are “Organizational culture at odds with agile values” (52%), “General organization resistance to change” (48%), Inadequate management support and sponsorship (44%) and “Lack of skills/experience with agile methods” (40%).
Image copyright: CollabNet VersionOne, 13. state of agile report, https://www.stateofagile.com/
This overlaps with my agile recommendations for preparing the scaling of agile methods as laid out in this article .
I recommend everyone who has 10 minutes time to read the entire report and compare the statistics with their own experiences. Also the reports of the past years are available on the website and the view into the "agile past" is definitely worth a look.