Agile for IT Operations

Jun 13, 2017
2 min read

I've indicated that Agile is a suitable philosophy for other business teams besides software development. In addition to Marketing Teams, Agile and one of its frameworks can be very appropriate for information technology operations. Here's why.

Adapting the original Agile Manifesto to align more with IT operations, we might come up with something such as:

Manifesto for Agile IT Operations

We are uncovering better ways of executing IT projects by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value:

Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

Demonstrable results over comprehensive documentation

Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

Responding to change over rigid adherence to a plan

That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.

What this Manifesto maximizes are collaboration between participants, goal-orientated incremental action, frequent communication and flexibility. These are things that Agile espouses and which history has so frequently shown is so successful in managing multiple projects that are complex or where there are higher levels of uncertainty.

The original Agile Manifesto also included 12 supporting principles. For IT operations these might be modified as follows:

Principles behind the Agile Manifesto for IT Operations

We follow these principles:

Our highest priority is to satisfy our internal customers through early and, where possible, incremental conveyance of project deliverables.

Welcome changing requirements that reflect thoughtful responses to business conditions for the firm's competitive advantage.

Deliver incremental working results when possible, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale.

Business stakeholders and IT technicians must work together regularly thourghout the project.

Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they mneed, and trust them to get the job done.

The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a project team is face-to-face conversation.

Delivery of usable results is the primary measure of progress.

Agile processes promote sustainable results. The sponsors, engineers and users should be able to maintain a consistent pace indefinitely.

Continuous attention to technical excellence and thoughtful initial planning enhances agility.

Simplicity - the art of maximizing the amount of work not done - is essential.

The best approaches, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing cross-functional teams.

At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

In my next two posts I'll review several frameworks that are appropriate to Agile for IT Operations, winding up with things to consider when beginning to implement Agile in your IT organization.