While agile software development may seem straightforward at first, the transition period can be particularly challenging. In this transition, many companies face unique challenges and make mistakes. Most of the available literature concentrates on what steps to apply for a successful transition, yet little has been said on what to avoid. In this article, I explore the 10 most common mistakes in the transition from legacy development methodologies to agile. Like land mines, these mistakes are easy to make and are things that every software-development manager should try to avoid to achieve the greatest return on this important investment.
Mistake 1: Go All In
Months of discussion and e-mail threads are finally gone and it’s been decided that agile is the right thing for your organization. Be bold. Do not start with a pilot project; that’s for people who have all the time in the world. You run multiple projects and you have no time—pick a big and risky project or force this new methodology to all projects simultaneously. If you find yourself looking for a good disaster candidate, try to find the one with a new technology and/or a tight deadline. Because you won’t have time to learn from mistakes, something pilot projects are specifically conducted for, you’ll multiply them in all teams putting your agile initiative in life support.
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