Client Overview
A national nonprofit organization needed to improve software delivery performance and support a more frequent release model across its IT organization.
Industry
Nonprofit / Collegiate Athletics
Engagement Summary
Agile transformation support for DevOps and continuous delivery
The organization had invested heavily in DevOps and continuous delivery. Its goal was to release new software every two to three weeks rather than relying on a small number of large annual launches.
While the organization had moved toward DevOps, teams were still struggling with delivery predictability, uncertainty, and the pace of continuous delivery.
BCforward provided Agile strategy advisory support to assess the current environment, identify delivery challenges, and develop a roadmap for Agile Scrum adoption.
Geographic Scope
Headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana
Timeline
May 2016 – December 2016
Business Challenge
The organization had adopted a DevOps model, but projects were not consistently being delivered on time. IT employees felt overwhelmed by the uncertainty of the new continuous delivery environment.
Leadership wanted to build stronger, more well-rounded professionals while implementing Agile Scrum practices that could better support DevOps.
The organization needed a clear transformation roadmap focused on team structure, governance, measurement, communication, and cross-team coordination.
Strategic Requirements
The Agile transformation needed to support several priorities:
- Improve software delivery predictability
- Support more frequent release cycles
- Reduce uncertainty for IT employees
- Implement Agile Scrum practices across DevOps teams
- Strengthen coordination between product development and IT operations
- Create clearer team structures
- Improve work intake, prioritization, and decision-making
- Balance work capacity with demand
- Establish metrics and tools to measure performance
- Improve transparency and communication
- Help teams deliver MVPs within expected sprint cycles
- Build a stronger Agile culture and mindset
BCforward’s Approach
BCforward’s Agile Strategy Advisor began by assessing the organization’s current DevOps and delivery environment.
The assessment identified barriers that were preventing on-time project delivery and highlighted areas where Agile Scrum practices could provide greater structure, clarity, and predictability.
Based on the assessment, BCforward developed an Agile transformation roadmap focused on three core areas: structure, governance, and metrics and tools.
The structure component addressed how teams should be formed and organized. The governance component focused on how work should be intaken, prioritized, coordinated, and balanced against capacity. The metrics and tools component focused on how the organization should measure performance, track improvement, and communicate progress.
Implementation Timeline
BCforward supported the transformation through a structured timeline designed to move the organization from assessment to roadmap development and Agile adoption.
The implementation included:
- Current-state DevOps and delivery assessment
- Identification of delivery challenges and team pain points
- Agile transformation roadmap development
- Team structure recommendations
- Governance recommendations for intake, prioritization, and decision-making
- Capacity and demand alignment guidance
- Cross-team coordination planning
- Metrics and tools recommendations
- KPI definition for organizational performance tracking
- Agile Scrum practice implementation support
- Stakeholder communication and alignment
- Agile mindset reinforcement
Solution Delivered
BCforward delivered Agile strategy advisory support and a transformation roadmap to strengthen DevOps delivery.
The solution included:
- Current-state Agile and DevOps assessment
- Agile transformation roadmap
- Team structure recommendations
- Governance model recommendations
- Work intake and prioritization guidance
- Capacity planning and demand management recommendations
- Cross-team coordination guidance
- Metrics and tools strategy
- KPI recommendations
- Agile Scrum adoption support
- Agile culture and mindset guidance
Business Outcomes
The organization successfully implemented Agile Scrum practices for DevOps teams. Application development teams delivered MVPs within expected sprint cycles while meeting business value and customer expectations.
Key outcomes included:
- Agile Scrum practices implemented for DevOps teams
- MVPs delivered within expected sprint cycles
- Improved project delivery predictability
- Better communication across teams
- Increased transparency for leadership and stakeholders
- Stronger coordination across teams
- Greater alignment between product development and IT operations
- Stronger Agile culture and mindset
