Transitioning to XP/APM

The decision of an organization to transition to Extreme Programming (XP) and/or Agile Project Management (APM) can lead to unprecedented increases in organizational flexibility and speed. More importantly, delivered customer value can be increased many fold over traditional approaches to software development.

Agile transitions require changes to many parts of an organization, including software developers, technical, project, and product managers, quality assurance (QA), business stakeholders, and even documentation. New skills must be acquired by team members in each of these areas. This often leads to a shift in roles and responsibilities and a realignment and breaking down of team boundaries. Such changes are not made without difficulty and risk.

How Obtiva Coaching Works

The most effective transitions to XP/APM are led by outside coaches who can facilitate the adoption of XP/APM best practices in a client's organization. By building relationships with team members and providing hands-on, "in the trenches" leadership, Obtiva coaches can guide an organization's transition to a successful conclusion.

Obtiva coaches don't rely on a "one size fits all" approach to helping clients transition to XP/APM. Each client organization has:

• A unique culture and political environment,
• A mix of team members with diverse experiences, skills, and motivations,
• A different set of end goals.

Each Obtiva coaching engagement begins with an exploration phase that includes interviews and reviews of the existing environment and team—getting the lay of land. After this exploration phase, a set of recommendations is made and a transition roadmap is presented (in the format of a set of 2-4 week iterations). Once the transition begins, each iteration will end with a retrospective, where the transition roadmap will be re-evaluated and revised.

Agile Methodologies Practice

Obtiva's Agile Methodologies Practice provides a full range of services to help client organizations succeed. In addition to XP/APM coaching, Obtiva:

• Conducts training classes on technical and project management topics,
• Provides project staffing for XP/Agile teams by leveraging its network of XP/Agile experts. Skills include pair-programming, test-driven development (TDD), application and system design, and Agile Project Management.

Contact our consulting team today to see how Obtiva can help your organization become more Agile.