Agile Transformation QuickStart

Who? What?

A UK retail bank with a diverse product range and a reputation for efficient operations engaged ThoughtWorks to find out how Agile principles could be applied earlier in their processes, particularly in solution definition and requirements capture.

Why?

The client is a division of a much larger multinational financial organization who had built a reputation within the group for delivering more technology for less money as well as for being responsive to the dynamic business climate. They had gained this reputation working with small teams on small projects but were now facing a potentially very large project with vague business case and multiple stakeholders all with vague and changing requirements. They wanted help in scaling up to this whole new category of project.

How?

A joint team of ThoughtWorks Consulting and bank personnel clarified the business case, the new business processes and the key technology options and risks. The collaborative nature of the engagement meant it garnered strong user and stakeholder support for the follow-on project. And all this in only two weeks.

This rapid success came through asking the right questions - identifying the key benefits, requirements and constraints of the project as rapidly as possible. As candidate solutions are suggested they are quickly tested against plans and models or tried out in time-boxed technology experiments called "spikes". In this way all ideas are captured then either incorporated into the evolving models and plans or discarded with an explanation. This allows for broad analysis that converges rapidly on an agreed solution.

In addition, this approach enabled the client to:

• Rapidly figure out the measures of success
• Evaluate the technology solution
• Validate the business case
• Drive out a detailed first version of the requirements as visual prototypes, and
• Iterate towards a user-interface that provided an efficient and enjoyable user experience.

Key Results

Benefits of using ThoughtWorks Consulting methodologies include:

• Total project transparency
• Rapid, collaborative working style
• Usability built into systems from day one
• Clarified requirements, and
• Generation of high levels of interest and support from the team and stakeholders.

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