ESP Programming Implements Agile Process

In an effort to more effectively update application functionality and shorten development cycles, the ESP Programming Team has adopted the Agile methodology.  

Enhanced Software Products has partnered with a local software development firm IntelliTect to provide comprehensive training and instruction. Many closed-door training sessions were held on-site to get the Team up and running with burn charts and kanban boards. 

“ESP was quick to learn and open to new ideas as they went through Agile training. It was clear this will bring significant value to their development team and business value delivery.” ~ Allen Monroe, IntelliTect 

The Agile process is a project management methodology emphasizing flexibility, collaboration, and continuous improvement. It focuses on delivering value to customers through incremental and iterative development. This means that instead of creating a detailed plan up front, the waterfall method, the Team works in short cycles called "sprints" to deliver small pieces of functionality. Each sprint results in a working product increment that can be reviewed and adjusted based on stakeholder feedback. 

George Saprito, a developer here at ESP, describes the purpose of Agile as "to not think of things in the same way as we did before, and instead carve large projects up into smaller work items." These tasks then fit into a sprint, usually lasting two to three weeks in length, that can be seen as a complete work of value. 

One of the fundamental principles of Agile is prioritizing customer satisfaction through early and continuous delivery of valuable software updates. This means that the Team should focus on delivering features that provide the most value to customers first rather than trying to deliver everything at once. 

ESP's Vice President and Remover of Roadblocks Matt Lefler states, "Our engagement with IntelliTect has been very productive. Working together, we identified inefficiencies in our process, from creating code requests to pushing those changes to production/live environments. By changing our tracking software and combining the ticket system and code repositories, we will be able to get our completed code changes to production faster with fewer steps and still maintain auditability and integrity. Our Development team is really excited to be using the latest source control tools from Microsoft and also having industry-leading leadership on best practices for Agile development from IntelliTect."  

Another important principle of Agile is responding to change over following a plan. Instead of sticking rigidly to a pre-defined plan, Agile teams are encouraged to adapt their approach based on customer feedback and business environment changes. 

Agile also strongly emphasizes collaboration between team members and stakeholders, namely our ESP clients. This includes daily standup meetings where team members discuss progress and any obstacles they face and regular reviews with stakeholders to ensure alignment with business goals. 

Overall, the Agile process offers many benefits, including more frequent FORZA updates, increased flexibility, improved quality, and higher client satisfaction. By focusing on delivering value through iterative development cycles and responding quickly to changing requirements, Agile will enable our Teams to stay ahead in today's fast-paced business environment.