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Agile adoption still has long way to go, research reveals

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Agile report APMAgile may be the buzz word of the moment in project management circles, but it still has a long way to go before it reaches maturity, according to a new study by APM’s North West branch.

The Practical Adoption of Agile Methodologies report reveals that knowledge of agile – particularly outside of a software project context  – is limited at best, with less than a quarter (21%) using it for non-IT delivery. 

The report also highlights that from an audience of 120 attendees asked to share their experiences only two had heard of agile and none were using it. 

The study of North West corporate members and project professionals covers a broad range of project management experiences and styles, however take up of agile tools and techniques remains relatively low. 

The report concludes: ‘This could be indicative of a lack of adoption for wider project deliveries.’  

Respondents said the main reasons for using an agile methodology were: a need for speed, a fixed budget with uncertain requirements or willingness to pilot and prototype.  

All users reported some positive experience and said they would use agile again, ‘as it does deliver early benefits for less money’. 

The study sponsored by the APM Volunteer Research fund is intended for individuals and organisations who wish to understand the level of agile commitment and the drivers behind why certain methodologies were selected or not.  

It is hoped that the findings will give project sponsors and teams further information on which factors best influence successful adoption of an agile approach and where to concentrate best practice throughout the project life cycle.  

Writing in the introduction, the report’s authors say: “It is to be hoped that the findings from this study will give project sponsors and teams further information on which factors best influence successful adoption of the agile development approach and so where to concentrate best practice and effort throughout the project life cycle. 

“It is the aim of this study, therefore, to start to fill the ‘practical agile adoption for success’ gap in the current body of professional literature, and start to explore its usage on non-IT and innovative projects.” 

Download your free copy of The Practical Adoption of Agile Methodologies

Download your free copy of The Practical Adoption of Agile Methodologies

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  1. Adrian Pyne
    Adrian Pyne 28 May 2015, 10:23 PM

    ...does it have to be said that Agile Development and Agile Project Management are NOT i repeat NOT the same thing.The DSDM Consortium does not claim this, and they are leaders in Agile - development and PM.A great piece of research massively damaged by an utterly wrong opening statement.To be clear, for decades development activity has been project managed. How is that its only with the growth in Agile Development and the interest in Agile and Lean thinking that suddenly people are confused?If we can get past this the remaining 99.9% of the research document is going to be of great use.