Improving Enterprise Software Implementation with an Agile Approach

Heraclitus, the Greek philosopher, once said that “change is the only constant in life” and in my opinion, the agile methodology embodies that saying.

Agile is nothing but a methodology, a mindset that helps companies deal with change, minimise risk, and maximise value. It speeds up the feedback loop and reduces the ship-to-market time by enabling an iterative development process. This allows in making necessary refinements after each iteration, and the result is a more efficient build cycle and a better performing product by the end of it all.

When it comes to implementing enterprise software at amaysim, we have found that agile methodology really works for us. There are a few frameworks built on agile, and at amaysim we mix two of them together – Scrum, and Kanban – to yield the best of both worlds.

Our experience at amaysim highlights the benefits of an agile approach for enterprise software implementation. Here’s a little more detail on exactly how.

The key to implementing new software successfully

Every initiative starts with a big idea, a vision to do something new – and is quickly followed by the thought of how technology can support it. The challenge with every initiative is to make sure it doesn't get lost in the business to tech translation. There are many (correct) ways an objective can be achieved, but to decide which one gets you there fastest, with minimum effort and the maximum value, is tricky.

For implementation to work like a well-oiled machine, it’s important to coordinate all the moving parts. Deciding what parts will be picked up when, what they will enable, and who will need it, is difficult to get right. Effective planning gets that balance right, and agile puts the planning into practice. An agile approach is beneficial because it gives organisations the ability to pivot as necessary amidst the project - not greatly but sufficiently.

Teams work most efficiently and effectively when they fully understand the business vision and are empowered to make decisions that drive them towards it. In this ever-evolving technological landscape, empowering the teams should be at the heart of every methodology, and it is in agile.

There are also huge advantages to the iterative and incremental approach inherent in an agile methodology. Developing something iteratively allows refining of the work that was previously developed to continuously make it better. This is very much required as more of the solution shapes up. Developing something incrementally means that we’re able to deliver a big project in smaller chunks. As each small chunk is added to the puzzle, details can change, and this may impact what’s next. An agile team is well prepared to accommodate this, and every other curveball that comes along with it.

An agile philosophy in action

When we launched our subscription electricity product last year, it was a vision that all employees got behind. Everyone in the company was working towards a common goal. It was something new that we were building - ground up, and it was very important that now, more than ever, we were flexible, adaptive, and motivated. This situation warrantied agile methodology and it didn’t fail us.

Agile teams embrace change and are ready for it to take them to new horizons. Agility not only gave us the ability to design, review and iterate effectively, it also encouraged our team to experiment with new ideas and tools with an open mind because they were not bound to what they already knew, or had previously used. Our agile philosophy was absolutely the key to driving an exceptional result.

Support plus agility equals success

Implementations can be stressful if you aren't supported well and you have timelines dangling in front of you with no end in sight.

By the time initiatives are in the implementation phase at amaysim, our leaders have already considered every challenge and opportunity and left no stone unturned. They are also well prepared for any shocks or surprises during the implementation.

Together with our agile methodology, the software implementation process followed here is a far smoother process than many I have experienced elsewhere.