3 Success Stories That Will Make You Believe in Scaled Agile

Taking a company from Waterfall to Agile isn’t a trivial task. And it begins to look more like a “mission impossible” if we’re talking about large enterprises that have dozens of teams working towards a common goal.

Here you will find the results / achievements of 3 case studies that demonstrate that scaling Agile is not only possible, but can also yield great benefits.

Case 1: Lego (Agile framework used: Scaled Agile Framework)

Once you have empowered developers to manage their own work, say goodbye to the army of “managers with spreadsheets”. You can stop doing excessive documentation and other unproductive practices.
Developers now give more accurate estimates and the outcomes have become more predictable.
Previously, the person who shouted the loudest could get their work done faster. Now, with visibility taken to the extreme, decisions are based on real necessity.
Nothing beats face-to-face communication and the positive effect it has on team morale. Especially the communication that occurs during Lego’s big room events.

Case 2: Cisco (Agile framework used: Scaled Agile Framework)

40% decrease in critical and major defects.
16% decrease in DRR (Defect Rejected Ratio).
14% improvement in DRE (Defect Removal Efficiency) thanks to CI (Continuous Integration) and more interaction between international teams.
No more overtime and the product increment is delivered on time.

Case 3: British Telecom (Scrum + XP; 90-day delivery cycles)

The delivery cycle went from 12 months to 90 days. It now starts with a three-day company-wide meeting, at which shareholders are also present.
Everyone involved has agreed to set strict priorities and focus only on stories that drive business value.
At the end of each cycle, the program is evaluated against a set of success markers. The team may be paid a bonus depending on the results.
Doing things the Agile way has improved developer morale and motivation.