“Reflections on Agile Transformation of Information Systems Development Practice in a Telecom...

“Reflections on Agile Transformation of

Information Systems Development Practice in a

Telecom Company”

Mehmet N. Aydin, Ebru DilanKadir Has Üniversitesi, İstanbul

mehmet.aydin@khas.edu.trebru.dilan@khas.edu.tr

Motivation

The very idea of agile method appears to be well received in the academic and practioner world. Is it the panacea for a long-standing problem in ISD

(Aydin, 2006) “Lots done, more to do” (Abrahamsson et al., 2009)

This research is concerned with agile transformation of ISD practice by taking into account method adoption and adaption for projects and further examine its relation with the organizational context and perceived benefits relating to the transition.

Research Questions

What is the (rich) context in which agile method use can be best studied as a phenomenon of interest?

How specific elements of an agile method (technical and process fragments) have been adopted in a telecom company?

What can be further identified concerning the interplays between method, context, human in agile method use.

Research Framework and Method

Interpretative case study, ICT industry Data collection: interviews, project

documents, observation Two projects (P1 and P2)

1• Enterprise

2• Project

3• Individual

Case Analysis and Findings [1/4]

Background for transition to agile approach

Organizational context and method adoption

•Technical and Process fragments

Method adaptation for projects

Agile Solutions Management Team, 2011

Enterprise-wide change CMO

Transformation Office

Transition... or Transformation?

Project categories

Agile Studio @Academy, HR Agile Solutions @Technology

9 agile teams non-IT functions (Sales,

Marketing, Finance, HR)

Case Analysis and Findings [2/4]

Background for transition to agile approach

Organizational context and method adoption

•Technical and Process fragments

Method adaptation for projects

PMO

Agile Studio

Technical Method Fragments

Case Analysis and Findings [3/4]

Background for transition to agile approach

Organizational context and method adoption

• Technical & Process fragments

Method adaptation for projects

Process Fragments Roles and Responsibilities – combined roles

Major Activities The organization’s practice is subject to variation

P2; Periodically required functional operations interrupt regular activities

cancelled daily scrum & sprint review meetings P1; upper man.requests an urgent task, team discountinues

scrum Sprint planning, review, and retrospective meetings are hold

together in the same session, non-attendance problems, failures in planned start times

Case Analysis and Findings [4/4]

Background for transition to agile approach

Organizational context and method adoption

• Technical & Process fragments

Method adaptation for projects

Reflections and Conclusions [1/4]

Perceived Improvement / Performance Changes in-house survey – 39 team members, 12

POs a number of factors: motivation, self-

organization, productivity, transparency, adoption to change...

Perception or Reality ? requires further quantitative/qualitative

research

Reflections and Conclusions [2/4]

Incremental approach / pilot (small type) projects Appropriate for the practices in large

scale organizations Limited scope for method adoption Underlying motive: risk driven

approach, quick win, best practice, high resistance?

Tip of iceberg: challenges are on the way to achieve true and complete agile transformation Further investigation, longitudinal study

needed!

Reflections and Conclusions [3/4]

Scrum roles power shift

Role & power drifting due to role merge that may lead to shift into waterfall approach charactersitics Further investigation, comparative, in-depth project

analysis needed!

Reflections and Conclusions [4/4]

Technique By-pass

Intriguing interplays between agent, context, method

Pragmatic Taken for

granted

Agent

Thank you

Mehmet N. Aydin, Ebru DilanKadir Has Üniversitesi, İstanbul

mehmet.aydin@khas.edu.trebru.dilan@khas.edu.tr

(Aydin, 2006)