Mixed Agile approaches, organizational resistance to change, lack of understanding amongst leadership, and internal silos hold businesses back from enterprise-wide adoption, begging the question: Where does Agile go from here?

  • While 71% of survey respondents use Agile in their software development lifecycle, only 11% are “very satisfied”, and 33% are “somewhat satisfied”
  • Organizational resistance to change and insufficient understanding amongst leadership are the two main reasons respondents claim Agile is not scaling
  • Engineering and R&D departments are the fastest-growing adopters of Agile
    34% of respondents are either creating their own framework or do not follow a mandated framework at the enterprise level

Raleigh, NC – January 16, 2024 – Digital.ai, the leading provider of enterprise-grade software development and delivery solutions, today unveiled its 17th annual State of Agile report, the longest-running survey on the topic. Digital.ai surveyed 788 software development professionals to ask the questions it has asked for the last 17 years – How is it working? Can it scale? and How does it help? The findings show that a majority (71%) use Agile in their software development lifecycle (SDLC). But despite respondents touting improved collaboration and better alignment with the business as top benefits of using Agile, these benefits have yet to reach their expected potential. There is an ongoing disconnect between Agile practitioners and the business, evidenced by resistance to organizational change, a lack of understanding amongst leadership, and inadequate training and support from the business side. Just 11% of survey respondents who use Agile are “very satisfied,” and 33% are “somewhat satisfied.”

Small nimble organizations are the happiest – 52% report enterprise Agile works very or somewhat well, and state that Agile is a powerful productivity and organizational framework resulting in increased collaboration, improved software quality, and better alignment with the business, compared to 43% of larger companies who agree.

Amidst the ongoing challenges of AI transformations, developer burnout, hybrid work environments, and changing business priorities, requiring development teams to constantly pivot, scaling Agile is proving more difficult than anticipated. Agile team leaders are being asked to do a lot from demonstrating business value and enabling digital transformation to incorporating AI and managing distributed workforces, and the results show there is a long way to go before reaching these lofty goals.

The good news is – and the reason businesses continue to try – is that users who are happy with Agile point to concrete benefits from its adoption. Almost 60% said collaboration has improved, while 57% saw better alignment to business needs and a quarter saw better quality software delivered.

“What’s clear from the data is that, when Agile works, it works – there are concrete benefits for the organizations who have gotten it right,” said Derek Holt, CEO, of Digital.ai. “AI is the latest disruptive change to businesses, and like any change, it alters processes and practices that will take time to assimilate, but the enterprise goal remains the same – to satisfy the hunger to deliver business value and drive customer satisfaction. Agile still provides us with the best opportunity to manage these transitions and drive software delivery toward maximum business value.”

Where does Agile go from here?

For additional information, including on upcoming webinars, to ask questions, or to submit feedback, enthusiasts can also check out the State of Agile group on LinkedIn, here.

Methodology

The 17th annual State of Agile survey was conducted by Digital.ai. 788 people responded to the survey. Just over 30% of survey takers work at companies with more than 20,000 employees while 29% are at organizations with 1,000 or fewer workers.

To read the 17th State of Agile report or to read any previous State of Agile reports, visit stateofagile.com. For more information on Digital.ai, visit Digital.ai. 

About Digital.ai

Digital.ai is an industry-leading technology company dedicated to helping Global 5000 enterprises achieve digital transformation goals. The company’s AI-powered DevSecOps platform unifies, secures, and generates predictive insights across the software lifecycle. Digital.ai empowers organizations to scale software development teams, and continuously deliver software with greater quality and security while uncovering new market opportunities and enhancing business value through smarter software investments. Additional information about Digital.ai can be found at https://digital.ai and on Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Facebook.

Media Contact:
Colleen Martin
Zer0 to 5ive, for Digital.ai
colleen@0to5.com