From Adoption to Sustainability: A Journey of Large-Scale Agile Implementation

This research delves into the transformative journey of a prominent Malaysian multinational telecommunications company as it implements and maintains Agile methodologies on a large scale. The goal is to provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and complexities of scaling Agile practices in the rapidly evolving digital age, where Agile methodologies are increasingly seen as essential tools for enhancing organizational agility and customer-centricity. The study utilized qualitative research approach using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis to unravel the many facets of agile adoption, from its initial stages of comprehension and implementation to the long-term sustainability of its practices. The research revealed that agile methodologies triggered significant organizational changes, including shifts in team dynamics, leadership paradigms, and cultural ethos. These changes underscore the critical importance of continuous learning and adaptability in maintaining Agile methodologies, particularly within a holistic organizational framework. The findings of this research have significant implications for agile practitioners, consultants, and scholars alike. The study provides practical insights that can aid in adopting and scaling agile practices within organizations, emphasizing the need for a robust and flexible organizational culture to support such transformations. Additionally, the study highlights the need for further research to investigate the nuances of Agile adoption and scaling in various organizational contexts. Overall, this research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on agile methodologies, providing critical insights that can inform and shape future research and practice.

Agile adoption; Agile implementation; Agile transformation; Large-scale agile; Organizational transformation

Our research emphasized on the scientific importance of Agile methodologies beyond their practicality as a roadmap for organizational change. Although Agile practices have revolutionized numerous industries, we emphasize viewing Agile as a change agent rather than a mere solution. By tackling the complexities of scaling Agile, our study aims to add to the academic conversation by revealing the far-reaching consequences of widespread Agile implementation that surpass the boundaries of a singular organization.

Agile emerged in the '90s as a modern system development methodology (SDM) for fast-paced business dynamics (Laanti, Salo, and Abrahamsson, 2011). It differs from traditional SDMs by offering a more streamlined solution. At that time, only about half of businesses strictly adhere to the traditional SDMs (Glass, 1999), which can lead to project failures (Gupta et al., 2019).
        In the meantime, the Agile methodologies prioritize the "people factor" (Cockburn and Highsmith, 2001) by entrusting significant responsibilities to both software engineers and users alike. Developers can determine the essential system features for each development cycle through collaborative efforts with customers (Nerur, Mahapatra, and Mangalaraj 2005). This contrasts with traditional SDMs, where users have limited involvement, while Agile enables continual adaptation to user demands and emerging technologies (Chan and Thong, 2009).

2.1. Agile Implementation Beyond Software Development Settings

        The adoption of AM in software development has significantly transformed project management processes over the years (Lunesu et al., 2021). Agile approaches have increased efficiency and quality (Livermore, 2008), reduced lead times, and prioritized client needs (Petersen and Wohlin 2009). As a result, both management and developers generally view Agile approaches favorably due to their ability to optimize processes and eliminate overhead compared to traditional software development strategies (Nisa and Qureshi, 2012).

        Companies are implementing AM outside of software development contexts due to Agile's success in software development. According to earlier studies (Tse et al., 2016), Agile has a good effect on financial performance and operational indicators, which has been the main driver of this transition. Agile implementation has been shown to improve team dynamics, such as team inter-operability (Grass, Backmann, and Hoegl, 2020), individual outcomes, including reduced role ambiguity, work exhaustion, and stress (Pfeiffer et al., 2019), as well as organizational outcomes, such as improved time to market and satisfied stakeholder (Dikert, Paasivaara, and Lassenius, 2016).

        These benefits align with the practical insights of Esbensen et al. (2019) from McKinsey's international management consulting firm. Their team found that companies adopting Agile practices are 50% more likely to outperform their competitors financially. Additionally, adopting agile directly helps businesses get products to market faster, increase customer happiness, increase productivity significantly, and alter the employee experience to attract and retain top talent. Agile businesses can swiftly adapt and respond to shifts in consumer demand, enhancing their products' responsiveness (Shekarian, Nooraie, and Parast, 2020).

2.2. Agile Methodology (AM) in Organizational Transformation

     In the context of organizations, transformation refers to the process of change. It typically involves a strategic approach to identify future organizational needs, define an ideal state, and implement changes to achieve these goals. Initially designed for small, single-team projects (Dikert, Paasivaara, and Lassenius, 2016). The organization’s transformational process often leverages the Agile method. Agile methods demonstrated and projected benefits have made them desirable beyond their original setting, especially for larger enterprises (Dikert, Paasivaara, and Lassenius, 2016). As a result, the number of businesses implementing Agile techniques is rapidly increasing (Schmitt and Hörner, 2021).

      The growing pressure to shorten cycle times, improve quality, and quickly respond to changing customer needs has also contributed to the rising popularity of AM among both large and small businesses. New processes like workflow, allocation, and performance management have been improved by using Agile, which trickle down to individual team members (Annosi et al., 2022). AM can help established or rigid organizations become more adaptable (Lindvall et al., 2004) and develop greater flexibility, innovation, and agility to overcome bureaucratic control inertia (Khanagha et al., 2021).

     Transitioning to Agile methodologies can be a challenging endeavor. Resistance from management and limited resources can hinder the process, making it difficult for companies to adopt Agile practices successfully. Addressing common obstacles, such as managing people, refining processes, and implementing new technology, is crucial for success. According to Abdulameer, Yaacob, and Ibrahim (2020), the 'leagile' supply chain, which fuses lean methodologies with Agile, can offer a promising solution. Effective information sharing and coordination on a large scale are key components for successful Agile implementation. By incorporating sustainable practices, the leagile approach can provide lasting benefits for organizations seeking to adopt Agile methodologies at a large scale.

2.3.  Scaling Agile/ Large Scale Agile

Agile techniques focused on flexible and iterative planning were developed as an alternative to the conventional project and organizational management methodologies. They are valuable for communicating essential competencies like uncertainty, adaptability, creativity, dialogue, respect, self-confidence, emotional intelligence, responsibility, and systemic thinking because they are firmly rooted in participatory, collaborative, and constructionist principles (López-Alcarria, Olivares-Vicente, and Poza-Vilches, 2019). "Scaling Agile" refers to the practice of extending the application of Agile principles from small teams to larger organizational units or large-scale projects. This procedure sometimes entails changing or adapting Agile methodologies to handle the complexities and difficulties of large-scale development (Paasivaara et al., 2018). In the context of Agile, the word "large-scale" can relate to factors such as the number of individuals or teams, project budget, code base size, and project duration. When two to nine teams work together on a project, it is deemed large-scale; when there are more than 10, it is considered highly large-scale (Edison, Wang, and Conboy, 2022). However, "large-scale" can vary depending on the context and the individual providing the definition. For instance, some academics and practitioners define a large-scale project with up to 50 participants. In contrast, others describe it as one with a workforce of between 100 individuals and half of it, including all involved in the project (Dikert, Paasivaara, and Lassenius, 2016).

The challenges of scaling Agile entail the need for working teams to coordinate their work and communicate with other organizational units (Dikert, Paasivaara, and Lassenius, 2016). The transition to large-scale Agile involves addressing recognized challenges and relying on critical success factors identified through comprehensive literature reviews of large-scale Agile changes in the industry. The most essential elements for a successful deployment are the management's support, the choice and adaptation of the Agile model, training and coaching, and mindset and alignment. However, recent studies have indicated that Agile may have unforeseen impacts and have begun considering factors that may lead to suboptimal results (Begum et al., 2022). When businesses use Agile techniques extensively, like at the organizational level, this problem is more evident since they are more prone to miss potential drawbacks (Dikert, Paasivaara, and Lassenius, 2016; Janes and Succi, 2012). The scaling-up practice has the potential to damage an organization's capacity to foster innovation over the long term and has been recognized as a side consequence of the exercise (Annosi et al., 2022).

2.4. Agile Post-Adoption (Sustainability)

As organizations focus on implementing Agile methodologies and overcoming the associated challenges, practitioners often become more engrossed in adopting rather than sustaining Agile practices within the organization (Gregory et al., 2016). In the literature, the post-adoption phase of Agile is sometimes referred to as "post-acceptance" (Bhattacherjee, 2001) and "sustained" (Senapathi and Drury-Grogan, 2017; Overhage, Birkmeier, and Schlauderer, 2012). Agile methods become a regular element of daily operations (Bhattacherjee, 2001) and organizational practices (Abrahamsson, Conboy, and Wang,  2009) once they have moved past the adoption stage and started to integrate. Four case studies on implementing Agile practices (Scrum & XP) were undertaken by Wang, Conboy, and Pikkarainen (2012), focusing on the post-adoption phases, or the reception, routinization, and integration of Agile methods in organizations. Their findings imply that teams that have adopted Agile methods do not always linearly progress through the assimilation phases and that the implementation duration of Agile practices does not proportionally affect the teams' integration level. In a study on the long-term adoption of an Agile methodology (Scrum), Overhage, Birkmeier, and Schlauderer (2012) identified several post-acceptance criteria, including comparative benefits, compatibility, and complexity. Senapathi and Srinivasan (2017) provided a methodology highlighting crucial components for applying Agile practices after adoption. According to their research, top management backing, a team-oriented mentality, technical competence, relative advantage, and championing are the critical components for a company to implement Agile practices. However, the requisite study is still lacking in post-adoptive agility. According to Mamakou (2023), scholars and practitioners have varied perspectives on maintaining agility and using inconsistent language. However, over time, more research has investigated post-adoption usage.

    The research process of this study, as depicted in Figure 1, comprises six distinct steps. To acquire valuable insights, we utilized semi-structured interviews and conducted thematic analysis.

Figure 1 Research Process

        This study sits on an interpretive research paradigm. Qualitative research method was used to investigate the phenomenon. Unit of analysis is individual. The population of study is agile practitioners. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to obtain detail feedback from the practitioners. The targeted company's agile ecosystem comprises over 1,200 employees directly or indirectly involved with the firm's agile practices. These individuals range from users, agile team members, product owners, supporters, team leads, and project sponsors, all grouped into squads or tribes depending on the deliverables or targets set by the organization. The operationalization of these agile groups is led by Agile Coaches (ACs), who act as project managers while championing the agile methodologies (AM). ACs are also known as Scrum Masters, as commonly indicated in the literature findings.
    In this study, we chose to focus on the HACs (Head of Agile Coaches) group, given their unique perspective on both operational and management matters. An AC and Agile Transformation (Tx) representative was also included in the sampling to baseline the responses. Utilizing non-probability purposive sampling, we posed two key inquiries to assess the current state of Agile practice: 1) How would you describe the current state of Agile practice in light of the company's 6th year of transformation? 2) What would you change to improve the Agile practice? These insights will prove invaluable in determining the viability of AM for a Telco company. Our data analysis is based on Braun and Clarke (2020) six-step Thematic Analysis. To achieve our predetermined objectives, we analyzed each theme thoroughly. The initial step involved scanning the interview transcripts to identify possible patterns and ensure that the data met the analysis requirements.

4.1. Profile of Respondents

        The data was collected from six certified Agile practitioners or Scrum Masters, each with over two years of practical experience in the company. Each respondent manages an Agile Coach (AC) team and has their own divisional area of responsibility. The respondent profile is detailed in Table 1.

Table 1 Profile of Respondents

4.2. Success Factors of Large-Scale Agile

Table 2 Success Factors of Large-Scale Agile

4.3. Success Factors of Agile Sustainability

           For sustained success, organizations must persist in utilizing agile practices even after adoption. This section delves into the key success factors that act as a guide to preserving agile practices and maximizing the advantages of agile transformation over the long term.

Table 3 Success Factors of Agile Sustainability

4.4.     Challenges in Large-Scale Agile

        Implementing agile practices on a large scale presents significant challenges despite identified success factors. This section explores the obstacles and difficulties encountered in organizations' agile transformation journeys.

Table 4 Challenges in Large-Scale Agile

4.5. Challenges in Agile Sustainability

        Although having a roadmap for sustaining agile practices is essential, it is equally important to anticipate potential challenges that may arise during the post-adoption phase. This section explores the possible obstacles and difficulties organizations may face in sustaining their agile practices.

Table 5 Challenges in Agile Sustainability

5.    Discussion

        The discussion is structured into four main sections: emerging quadrants, interpretation of results, comparison with existing literature, and implications for practice and future research.

5.1. Emerging Quadrants

        The esults were organized into four subsections of a framework (Figure 2), each addressing a specific aspect of the study's findings. The framework consists of twelve final themes discovered during the study. These themes were then clustered into two perspectives: timeline and sentiment. The timeline perspective refers to whether the theme is currently present or anticipated in the future. The sentiment perspective captures the positive or negative sentiments associated with each theme. This dual perspective resulted in four quadrants, Q1 to Q4, each representing a unique combination of timeline and sentiment.

Figure 2 Four Quadrants of Timeline and Sentiment

    Our analysis reveals that successful implementation of agile practices requires three key drivers: Executive Leadership and Management Support, Organisational Commitment to Change, and an Iterative Implementation Approach. These factors underscore the significance of strong leadership, organizational readiness for change (Chumnumporn et al., 2022), and a flexible, iterative approach to large-scale agile transformation.

     When considering these drivers alongside Kischelewski and Richter (2020) systematic literature review findings, implementation strategy emerges as the most critical success factor for large-scale agile. Management and organization play a crucial role in this, followed by iterative planning and execution. This contrasts Kischelewski and Richter's primary success factors of communication transparency and knowledge management.

     Moreover, we identified several challenges, including the complexity of agile implementation, hierarchical management and organizational boundaries (Chumnumporn et al., 2022), and integration of agile practices in cross-functional environments. These challenges align with the communication and inter-team coordination challenges outlined by Kischelewski and Richter (2020).

     For the future, organisational mindset and cultural alignment, continuous training and coaching, and agile leadership were identified as the linchpins for sustaining agile practices. This emphasizes the importance of agile leadership, continuous mentoring, and cultural alignment for the longevity of agile transformation.

5.2. Implications to Practice

      The implications of our study extend beyond the organization we examined and into the wider industry and academic field. Our findings revealed that the challenges and success factors in undergoing an agile transformation are universal, regardless of an organization's size or field. By addressing these challenges and leveraging the success factors, organizations can ensure a smoother and more effective transition to agile, leading to improved operational efficiency, customer satisfaction, and competitive advantage.

        Moreover, the insights gained from our study can serve as a blueprint for academic research, curriculum development, and training programs focused on agile methodologies. By integrating these findings into academic curricula, we can better equip future professionals to handle the real-world challenges of undergoing an agile transformation.
      Our study also opens several intriguing avenues for future research. Granular insights  can be gained by delving deeper into the tactics and conditions that enable a successful agile transition at scale. Additionally, understanding the factors that influence the sustainability of agile practices across diverse organizational contexts would be enlightening. Exploring the role of cultural alignment, training, and coaching in helping teams navigate the complexities of sustaining agile practices can also provide actionable insights for both practitioners and academics.

        Our research delved into the complexities of implementing agile methodologies on a large scale, shedding light on the critical success factors and challenges faced in both present and future contexts. Our study provides a nuanced understanding that is valuable to practitioners, decision-makers, and academics alike. The findings highlight the multifaceted nature of agile transformation at scale, emphasizing the vast scope for further exploration in this domain. While crucial for industry professionals, our insights also highlight disparities and commonalities with existing literature, further accentuating the evolving nature of agile methodologies and the need for continuous research. It is essential to recognize the limitations of our study, given the dynamic and intricate landscape of large-scale agile implementation. Our findings may not apply universally across all organizational contexts. Nonetheless, the depth and breadth of our research provide a robust foundation and catalyst for subsequent studies in this realm. In short, our research not only enhances our understanding of large-scale agile implementation but also encourages academic and industrial communities to engage in a deeper, collaborative exploration to unleash the full potential of agile methodologies.

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