CA Technologies: Firms struggle implementing agile and DevOps

CA Technologies today announced the results from its worldwide study How Agile and DevOps Enable Digital Readiness and Transformation, revealing that, while many firms are committed to the full adoption of agile and DevOps, many are struggling with key challenges and missing out on its benefits.

The study found that, while 75% of respondents recognise that agile and DevOps approaches drive significant business success when implemented together, only a relatively small proportion consider the consistency, depth and breadth of usage of these practices to be high.

The study showcases characteristics of ‘agility masters’, with 18% of respondents saying they are farthest along in the full adoption and doing most of the correct things to make agile and DevOps an essential part of how they function day by day.

These ‘agility masters’ are also more likely to use agile practices across other company functions, so it is unlikely a coincidence that these organisations are seeing a 60% higher rate of revenue and profit growth, and are 2.4 times more likely than their mainstream counterparts to be growing their businesses at a rate of over 20%, according to the study.

Changing customer demands

Ayman Sayed, president and chief product officer at CA Technologies, commented: “The pressure is on to make all parts of an organisation as flexible as possible when responding to changing customer demands, user expectations, regulatory changes and – most important of all – market opportunities.

“Business leaders need to be aggressive and intentional about driving the adoption of agile and DevOps within their organisations. The success of their business depends on it.”

The study also found that organisations are plagued by similar challenges, including culture, skills, programme investment and leadership alignment.

The research highlights a widespread recognition that implementing agile and DevOps practices across the software lifecycle are not just a matter of new skills and working patterns.

For some, it also requires a significant shift in mindset and behavior and making those changes is very much a people issue – even at the executive level.

‘Encourages and rewards collaboration’

Top priorities to improve effectiveness identified by respondents include:

  • 83% have improved the culture of the organisation, as it encourages and rewards collaboration
  • 82% have supported commitment from management at all levels
  • 78% are training for IT teams on how to collaborate and incorporate best practices into their day-to-day jobs, with 75% implementing additional resources to help implement agile and DevOps practices
  • 74% relieve time pressures so teams can implement effective agile and DevOps practices.

More than half of the respondents also found it very difficult or challenging to find professionals that were familiar with agile methods, with a further 77% having experience using DevOps.

The global online survey was conducted by 1,279 senior IT and business executives who are sponsored by CA Technologies and conducted by the industry analyst firm Freeform Dynamics.

Written from press release by Leah Alger

More
articles

Menu