Over the last two decades, agile has revolutionized how IT teams build and deliver technology solutions. Initially outlined in the Agile Manifesto in 2001, the agile methodology prioritizes iterating quickly, embracing change, collaborating closely with stakeholders, and delivering working software frequently.
While agile software development was born out of the need for faster and more flexible software delivery, the principles at its core have applications beyond IT projects. The agile mindset of increased adaptability, improved collaboration, enhanced customer focus, and continuous improvement can supercharge careers across the tech industry.
The emphasis on feedback loops and continuous learning is essential for growth and advancement in the fast-paced realm of technology. Agile frameworks like Scrum and Kanban help IT professionals hone critical skills like time management, effective collaboration, and goal-focused execution. Experience with agile delivery processes has become vital for thriving in technical roles.
Key skills required to embrace the agile mindset
Scott Ambler, consulting methodologist and agile data coach, applied agile strategies from the very beginning of the movement and shared his insights with ITPro. Ambler was the thought leader behind the Agile Modeling, Agile Data methods, and the Agile Unified Process (AUP).
"I’m a firm believer that people should be generalizing specialists in that they have the detailed skills of one or more specialists, such as testing, data engineering, architecture, and so on, as well as general knowledge of how IT works and general knowledge of the domain that their organization is in,” explains Ambler.
“Generalizing specialists are always learning and expanding their skill sets. This is critical for people to be agile as it increases their adaptability and enables them to interact more effectively with people with different backgrounds and skill sets."
Peter Hyde, VP director of Software Engineering at Gartner and former agile coach, tells ITPro that many IT professionals now require an increasingly broad range of skills in order to deliver sophisticated products that both meet customer needs and deliver on business objectives.
“Although software engineering skills remain crucial, the accelerated pace of technology change and dynamic market conditions make communication, collaboration, and continuous learning indispensable,” explains Hyde. "IT professionals must upskill and reskill to remain current on people, process, technology, and product skills. Specific needs will vary by role, but IT professionals must allocate sufficient weekly learning time to improve their capability and support others in their organization."
Tips and strategies for developing agile skills
"Read beyond the common frameworks, such as Scrum or SAFe,” explains Ambler. “While they potentially have value to add, they often narrow the conversation to their particular flavor of agile, preventing people from learning and improving outside of the framework box they want to put you in.”
“I highly suggest reading about PMI’s Disciplined Agile (DA) toolkit, which doesn’t restrict itself to a single framework or even to agile. It’s a true, context-sensitive hybrid approach. For those who like to read, the book Choose Your WoW! is a great overview, although, with some searching, you’ll easily find both virtual and on-site workshops."
“I highly suggest reading about PMI’s Disciplined Agile (DA) toolkit, which doesn’t restrict itself to a single framework or even to agile. It’s a true, context-sensitive hybrid approach.
“Experiment with agile techniques; PMI’s Disciplined Agile Browser is a great resource because it puts over 1700 practices into context. You should be able to find something specific to your job role that you can experiment with to improve your way of working (WoW)."
There is also an abundance of training resources that cater for IT professionals in this regard, whether it be training organizations, certifications, books, videos, or online articles. Hyde suggests a good place to start is the free Scrum Digital Learning Paths, available through Scrum.org.
“[It’s] a good option for prospective scrum masters, product owners, software developers, and agile leaders to begin learning about the individual roles."
Common challenges IT pros face when implementing agile principles
Although there are some common issues that people face with agile methods, it’s important to note that every learning journey is different, and background, experiences, and existing skills will all play a role.
Although there are some common issues that people face with agile methods, it’s important to note that every learning journey is different, and background, experiences, and existing skills will all play a role.
“A key issue to understand is that agile is real; it works, and it’s here to stay,” explains Ambler. “I’ve never seen a person, a team, or an organization that couldn’t benefit from adopting agile strategies for parts of their way of working. I have encountered hundreds of people who had convinced themselves that they were special or happened to be in some special situation where agile didn’t apply. Every single one of them was wrong about that, often because they didn’t understand the breadth of agile techniques. This is often the result of learning about something like Scrum, not realizing that Scrum is only a tiny part of your overall agile toolkit.”
As Hyde explains, the adoption of agile principles is often blocked within those organizations that are still heavily reliant on legacy infrastructure and old-fashioned practices that at one time helped them achieve business objectives. It’s because of this that IT professionals can play a pivotal role in adapting to existing constraints, and should collaborate where they can throughout the organization.
"IT professionals can demonstrate their expertise and experience by engaging in change initiatives,” explains Hyde. “Creating successful change at a team and enterprise level boosts career success and creates a safe environment for others to experiment and innovate."
The potential of agile to shape IT careers
Given its dominant role across the industry, the success of most IT professionals will rest on how well they have been able to embrace agile. As Hyde explains, “the call to action sounded by the Agile manifesto back in 2001 still rings loudly across businesses and must be reflected by IT professionals when shaping their careers".
Agile champions self-organizing teams, motivation, and trust over rigid processes and command-and-control management. Adopting these agile values opens the door to more fulfilling and impactful work for IT professionals. Leading with the agile mindset enables technologists to respond to rapidly changing requirements, leverage cross-functional collaboration, and focus on adding value for customers and the business.
Across all sectors and industries, IT departments are reorienting around agile to enable faster innovation and be more responsive to evolving customer needs. By embracing agile principles for adaptability, servant leadership, and continuous improvement, technologists can boost their career trajectories and become integral enablers of business success.
