Agile: It Hurts So Good

Adopting Agile isn’t a walk in the park — it’s more like a hike up a mountain. It’s a rewarding and transformative journey that requires hefty levels of gumption and team-building skills. According to FCW, this sentiment was shared by many IT leaders during a recent panel discussion — each had watched teams squirm under the increased pressure and accountability that regular scrums and other Agile practices entail. But they had also experienced the satisfaction, efficiency, and success that resulted when challenges were met head-on.

[Agile] techniques have soaked deeply into GSA and transformed business services delivery by making IT a “shared outcome” for the staff and its agency customers.

Implementing agile development for the first time, however, can be messy and uncomfortable. Peggy Stroud, deputy CIO in the Agriculture Department’s Rural Development office, said she was responsible for adopting agile techniques under the watchful eye of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

The process involved getting people out of their comfortable cubicles and into conference rooms, which she said she “stuffed with buffet tables” to lure dozens of employees together to hash out needs and expectations.

Read the full post: Agile comes with pressure and pain | FCW