For the past several weeks, Techwire has interviewed several experts on the topic of agile. What we've heard, perhaps unsurprisingly, is that agile practitioners say the state workforce will be challenged to adapt to agile's focus on customer needs rather than upfront requirements, and its emphasis on iterative development in lieu of major releases.
One person we talked to said the state's move to agile could take years, isn't likely to be a smooth transition and will take a heavy helping of training and external advisers to accomplish. On those last two points -- the training and outside help -- the state is offering more classes on topics such as agile development and scrum meetings, while leaning on organizations such as Code for America and 18F for expertise on writing agile-oriented bid documents.
Another expert put a finer point on the situation by saying California should expect some of its workforce to "wash out" and not be able to adapt effectively. That has been in the case in other large-scale moves to agile done in other organizations outside of state government, the source said.
The state of California isn't unique in needing to adapt, experts say.
"Agile is more than just a codified process; it is a development approach, a philosophy, one that stresses flexibility and communication. In order for a development team to successfully implement Agile the organization must embrace and practice the appropriate culture," consultant Leo Stezano wrote last fall in a blog for the Library and Information Technology Association.
The right people, open communication, empowerment and patience are needed, Stezano writes: "A full transition can take years of incremental improvement. ... Agile is adaptable and each organization should create the process that works best for its own needs."
In the move to an agile culture, agile coach Mario Moreira writes that organizations must address factors such as:
- Recognizing that moving to Agile is a cultural change (it’s a journey)
- Sharing and embracing the Agile values and principles
- Moving to an end-to-end view of delivering value (don’t stop at just the build portion)
- Adapting your governance to focus on value (enough with the cost, schedule, and scope)
- Evaluating employee willingness (employees are your brainpower)
- Gaining continuous feedback from customers (adapt toward customer value)
- Adapting the reward system to align with the new culture (toward team and value)
- Assessing executive support (build engagement along the way)
"I don't think by any means that pressure is off of staff at all," said Office of System Integration director John Boule, in a recent interview with Techwire. "I think that there is a lot of pressure. This is new. There is knowledge gaps that we have to fill, and we're going to be having requests for offers that are out on the street for Agile Development coaches, design, research and design support and some support items, along with some of our federal partners from 18F assisting them.
"I think our staff is excited about it. They feel very empowered. They want to be able to do these things, but it's new. So they're learning. So I view it as a very dynamic environment."
Read more about agile in the upcoming issue of Techwire magazine.
