Case Study Home Office - Agile Pilot Project
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In 25 years service I have never known a project to develop at such a startling rate. This is even more impressive when you take into account that all decisions have been made in calm and considered manner with no less importance being given to every stage, in spite of the time restraints.”
IndigoBlue has released a case study and white paper “Using Agile in Government Agencies” describing the successful piloting of Agile methods for the Home Office and Metropolitan Police.
Agile is an advanced approach to the management and governance of projects, providing a wider range of options for handling complexity and uncertainty. A key element of the approach is that the solution is built up through a series of continuous incremental deliveries, achieving the end goal through ongoing enhancements. The project is set up to be able to accommodate change more effectively, and this improved responsiveness is then used to optimise the process.
The project was part of a wider research programme managed by the Institute for Government (IfG) which looked at improving IT delivery in Government. The IfG report “System Error - Fixing the flaws in Government IT” makes a number of recommendations for the adoption of Agile methods within Government. These include
- During 2011/12 all government departments should run several projects using agile principles.
- Future IT and project management training for government employees should include a significant component of agile methods training.
- All departments should review governance, project approval processes and legal arrangements to ensure that they can be made to work with agile projects.
- Government departments should ensure that all future supply contracts can be made to work with a more flexible and iterative approach to development.
IndigoBlue’s case study also highlights some of the mechanisms for the adoption of Agile methods by larger organisations, including:
Bigger is not necessarily better – identify minimal fit solutions to prove end-to-end solutions and deliver key features early ensuring early return on investment.
Uncertainty – delivering partial solutions early is usually better than attempting to deliver complete all encompassing solutions, which are usually late, inadequate for evolving needs and over budget
Governance – set up governance structures to ensure appropriate decisions are taken at appropriate levels. Avoid micro-management but ensure that real progress is communicated to senior stakeholders.
Size – Agile techniques can be applied to projects of all sizes, with the largest benefits being achieved with the largest projects. As with all methodologies however, the types of techniques applied will vary between different projects to ensure the optimum benefits are realised.
The project itself was to provide tools to help identity fraud prevention and involved a team from the Home Office and Metropolitan Police. The project had originally been estimated to cost several million pounds and take a number of years to deliver, however by focusing on the highest priority requirements and using incremental delivery a system was delivered and used in live operation within three months for less than £100,000. As one user described it:
“In 25 years service I have never known a project to develop at such a startling rate. This is even more impressive when you take into account that all decisions have been made in calm and considered manner with no less importance being given to every stage, in spite of the time restraints.”
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While I was working with one of my clients a few years a go, I was given a book to read by the CEO. "The Speed of Trust". I read the book with a healthy dose of scepticism having read many management books in the past. But this book resonated with the core principles of Agile for me.
