Magenic-Sponsored Forrester Study Reveals Four Key Reasons Agile Software Development isn't Succeeding

MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Magenic, a leading modern application development company, today released the results of a Forrester Research study it commissioned to better understand the challenges and opportunities Agile software development presents. Among the study's findings are four key reasons organizations are not experiencing success with Agile and, therefore, not achieving the business growth Agile could and should provide.

"As we've talked with clients and prospects, it's become clear they are not seeing the kind of results they expect with Agile," said John Doucette, vice president of Consulting with Magenic. "We partnered with Forrester to see if our observations were truly industry-wide and to validate some directions to improve Agile success for our clients and for the industry as a whole."

Magenic's Forrester study included in-depth online surveys with 100 cross-vertical IT and business decision makers in the U.S. Questions focused on the main demands placed on application development by business leaders, the impact of lengthy development cycles, the role of testing in modern application development, and Agile approaches currently used. The responses to those questions revealed four key reasons Agile isn't succeeding, including:

• Development teams are not achieving high quality with Agile.
  According to a previous Forrester study, organizations can deliver new software features in production every 11.6 seconds. But that speed is not accompanied by quality. In Magenic's Forrester study, 74% of respondents stated they expected improved technical quality with Agile, but only 30% were experiencing it.
  
  
• Organizations are not adopting Agile all the way through the application development delivery cycle.
  Ninety percent of respondents in Magenic's Forrester study stated that they recognize Agile requires an investment in the skills, processes and technology to build a modern application delivery organization, but 37% indicated they lack the automated infrastructure needed to make this a reality, and 30% indicated company culture is barrier to full adoption.
  
  
• Organizations lack skilled Agile product owners.
  Thirty seven percent of respondents in Magenic's Forrester study noted that the lack of skilled product owners was creating a barrier to Agile implementation and success. Fifty two percent of respondents said product owners are hard to find, and 38% said that when there is a product owner, that product owner lacks the necessary skills.
  
  
• Organizations are not incorporating new Agile testing practices.
  In Magenic's Forrester study, more than 40% of respondents indicated that they only test the product once the application has been completed; only 12% state that they perform application testing early on and within each sprint. In addition, 34% of respondents noted that those conducting the testing lacked Agile testing skills.
  

In addition to identifying the four key reasons Agile isn't succeeding, the study offered words of advice to organizations considering or pursuing Agile: "Whether you have started the journey to Agile or plan to do so soon, you will have to become really good at it, because, at some point, you will need to scale Agile across even more projects and throughout the organization. That's where most of your peers are... Prepare now, and don't defer this any further."

With those words of advice were four recommendations organizations can implement to achieve greater Agile success, including adopting Agile all the way through the application development delivery cycle, applying noted best practices to better support Agile, making the necessary changes to company culture and training, and identifying when and where to apply Agile.

"Agile has the potential to impact business growth in a positive and transformative way when organizations truly commit to it," said Doucette. "But wanting success and achieving success are two very different things, and organizations have to commit not just to their desire but to the hard work required to achieve it. We're excited to leverage this information to more definitively help organizations better understand when and how to use Agile to reap the greatest benefits."

Magenic's Forrester study, "Leverage Agile to Meet Customer Demands and Software Quality Needs," is available in its entirety on the company's website. Additional resources, including a webinar, are also available.

About Forrester Research
Forrester Research is one of the most influential research and advisory firms in the world. The firm works with business and technology leaders to develop customer-obsessed strategies that drive growth. Forrester's unique insights are grounded in annual surveys of more than 500,000 consumers and business leaders worldwide, rigorous and objective methodologies, and the shared wisdom of its most innovative clients. Through proprietary research, data, custom consulting, exclusive executive peer groups, and events, the Forrester experience is about a singular and powerful purpose: to challenge the thinking of its clients to help them lead change in their organizations.

About Magenic
Over the past 20 years, Magenic has earned a reputation as the leader in modern application development. The firm is recognized for its premier technical talent as well as its proven project management and delivery processes. Magenic prides itself on transforming businesses through technology, moving companies forward with flexibility, expertise and velocity. To learn more about Magenic, visit magenic.com.

SOURCE Magenic

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