Agile can now be found in just about every company.

That is according to the 13th State of Agile report, which found that 97 per cent of organisations are using Agile. At 72 per cent, Scrum and its variations are the most widely used Agile practice.

Agile continues to bring success to organisations that use it correctly. Almost half (48 per cent) report that most or all of their Agile projects are successful, while 95 per cent said at least some are doing well.

As for what constitutes a successful Agile project, 46 per cent picked customer/user satisfaction and 42 per cent said delivery of business value. Both are also the top drivers for Agile transformation (52 and 48 per cent respectively), along with on-time delivery (41 per cent).

Managing changing requirements (69 per cent) and project visibility (65 per cent) are highlighted as the top benefits of Agile. Boost in morale and business/IT alignment (both 64 per cent), and faster delivery speed (63 per cent) follow closely behind.

This year’s survey recorded a 71 per cent increase in respondents naming project cost reduction as a primary reason for adopting Agile. A 27 per cent increase in the reduction in project costs was also highlighted as a key benefit of Agile.

Scaling up

Organisations continue to use Agile to encourage and support team collaboration across geographic boundaries and time zones. 78 per cent are practicing Agile with distributed (not co-located) team members, while 68 per cent are collaborating with multiple co-located teams.

When it comes to scaling Agile, the Scaled Agile Framework® (SAFe®) is the top methodology at 30 per cent. Internal Agile coaches, executive sponsorship, and company-backed training are the top three ways to deliver Agile at scale.

While buy-in and support for Agile shows an upward trend, only 17 per cent of organisations say they have a high level of proficiency. 78 per cent of companies still don’t have all of their teams using the methodology.

The internal culture of many organisations remains an obstacle for Agile adoption and success. Challenges include overall resistance to change, inadequate management support and sponsorship, and company mindset that clashes with Agile values.

Continuous improvement

These are but some of the top insights from the 13th State of Agile report. Check out the full report for additional stats into Agile adoption and use.

As the above numbers show, there’s value in being collaborative and cross-functional. However, it requires both commitment and perseverance, something that Agile training can help with.

If you are starting on your Agile journey, or feel that you are not getting the value from implementing Agile that you thought, contact us today to find out how we can assist.