Agile is one of the most trending topic in organizational section. Agile project management mostly covers process development, value enhancement and to facilitate a process team engagement is in focus point. But do we ever imagine that one day Transportation Security Administration will follow agile waterfall process to identify the possible threats and nullify them through an automated process governed by agile methodology. With emerging and advancing threats to airport and aviation security, TSA identified the imperative to bring in an "application development team" to move Secure Flight toward a more agile development cycle. Not only that TSA is deploying identity-matching system it uses to crosscheck passengers with government watch lists for suspected terrorists or other possible threats to aviation prior to their boarding an aircraft. TSA is currently focusing on faster development cycles, enhanced name matching, improved reporting and data analytics, automated and consistent system builds and cloud infrastructure.

To read follow: http://fedscoop.com/tsa-eyes-agile-flight-screening-it

There is a prediction that by 2017, 33% of Fortune 100 companies will experience information crises due to lack of adequate testing measures. To prevent this, the robust testing approach must be used. Developing a well-planned data warehousing, testing process will help in minimizing such risks. And while moving to agile, we can do more testing in comparison to traditional projects. The testing being done during development in parallel aids to agile development, because development and testing can be completed in a single sprint. The roadmap for building agile data warehouse will consist of following steps-

·         Build business conceptual model

·         Grass roots Data governance

·         High-level architecture with repeatable design patterns

·         Strong testing tools

·         Robust data quality program

·          Self-managing teams.

Read the full article here http://www.cio.com/article/3012097/data-warehousing/take-testing-seriously.html

I found this interesting article which described transformation to Agile using a metaphor of the train's journey. Source and destination points are described as process initiation phase and successful completion of the process. An agile coach is the driver of the train which leads the transition. This approach made sure that Agile coaches were available at the right time and helped coaches transforming 800-900 individuals per year with the help of 10 agile coaches. There were certain steps followed by each team- Agile introduction workshop, Management Start-up, Training and Start-up, Warm-up, Ongoing support, and evaluation. But this metaphor was used in the starting days of Agile. In the present time, we need something faster than a train. So, how about a racing car? Why? Because, it’s fast and will help the team in understanding the need to respond rapidly to changes. Read more at: : https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/articles/2016/january/travelling-without-moving

With the ever-increasing number of mobile phone users, banks should adopt a mobile-first strategy. Traditional banks are facing a threat from tech giants who are now focusing on developing mobile-based financial services. To achieve a successful mobile-first strategy, banks should resort to agile methodology. With the help of agile methodology banks can solve many challenges that they are facing today. With mobile technology, data on customer needs and preferences will be generated which can be leveraged to gain insight on customers. Lean start-up techniques can be devised for creation of new services in uncertain situations. Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), a cloud technology solution can be used to develop mobile apps. Thus, a successful mobile-first strategy requires an IT infrastructure enabled to adopt agile methodology and can leverage data and analytics on a big scale with PaaS. Read more at: https://channels.theinnovationenterprise.com/articles/7609-how-can-banks-achieve-a-successful-mobile-first-strategy

At a time when software is at forefront of all business activities, it is surprising to know that very few business minds truly comprehend the practice of software development and options that are available to them. Among the two most widely used methodologies-Agile and waterfall, picking up the suitable one and adoption of the same is extremely crucial for business. However the responsive and flexible nature of agile methodology is what is desired at present day businesses and for this reason agile is fast becoming the preferred approach. Continuous communication and collaboration, minimal documentation, increased efficiency are some of advantages of agile methodology. Read more:  http://www.information-age.com/technology/applications-and-development/123459702/how-being-more-agile-can-help-you-juggle-your-business-demands-more-efficiently

Development of an agile culture is the key to company's success. It helps in employee engagement and faster completion of the projects. The advantages of agile methodology is that it helps to move fast and iterate, and hence this approach is preferable. Jacob Shriar (Growth Manager of Officevibe, an employee engagement platform) in his article in business2community.com, discussed about the benefits of having an agile company culture which are:

1. First-mover advantage.

2. Motivates the team.

3. Involves your customers.

  However, he further pointed out the steps for a company to be more agile and they are as follows:

• Give Employees Autonomy.
• Lead By Example.
• Create Focus For Your Team.
• Understand The Value.
• Get Rid Of Fear.

To know more about this study, please follow the link: http://www.business2community.com/human-resources/the-advantages-of-an-agile-company-culture-01251209

Agile is the buzzword in industry today. Simply put, it is a better way of managing teams and projects by self organizing and cross functional collaboration.

Ming Chan, Founder and CEO of The1stMovement, in his article at Forbes, has shared his experience of transition to agile and benefits achieved from it in an agency context.

In his words, “Transition of moving from Waterfall to Agile as a business nearly killed our agency, but once we pushed through the steep learning curve, the implementation of Agile into our day-to-day workflow, and most importantly, our culture, undoubtedly took us to the next level.”

According to him, this transition yielded the following benefits:

• Project Profit Margin
• Client Satisfaction
• Employee Happiness

To learn more from his experience, please visit the following link:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2015/06/01/the-benefits-of-adopting-an-agile-approach-in-an-agency-setting/

Agile represents a group of software engineering methodologies which promise to deliver increased productivity, quality and project success rate overall in software development projects. Now, the scope of agile methodologies has increase more than just software development. They are increasingly being used in aviation, construction, pharmaceuticals, defence and the financial sector. This methodology divides the project in parts and focuses on each part rather than one single deadline.

According to Steve Messenger, Chairman of Agile standards body DSDM, “Agile takes a more fundamental approach to problems, enabling you to move forward with versions as you go along. Rather than try to design everything upfront, your experience and knowledge will increase as you go.”

This article by Tim Adler at business-reporter.co.uk explains in detail about agile methodology, compares it with previous technologies- Prince 2 and Waterfall Technologies. It also talks about an upcoming methodology – Prince 2 Agile.

To know more, please visit the following link:

http://business-reporter.co.uk/2015/04/28/project-management-why-it-pays-to-be-agile/