The changes brought about by the Agile, Lean, and DevOps movements, as well as by the growing relevance of digital services, are not to be underestimated. The evolution of IT leadership, however, has not been as rapid, and has struggled to adapt, continuing to approach problems from a traditional perspective. What’s more, Agile development tends to be suspicious of management, and often proceeds as if it were able to run the project without involving IT managers.
The author provides a helpful comparison of the two approaches. Traditional IT must demonstrate value by delivering projects on time and on budget, and has to get it right the first time. Agile and Lean approaches, on the other hand, push development teams to deliver the product to users quickly, and continue to refine both the product and the team's practices over time, rather than first working on the perfect product solution before launching or moving on to the next stage of development. Risk management in Agile and Lean IT is not based on careful and meticulous planning, but on bold experimentation combined with frequent testing, feedback, and adaptation.
The rise of Agile IT goes hand in hand with the rise of digital technology in everyday life, bringing managers, like everyone else in the organisation, into direct contact with cutting-edge technologies. The daily use of digital gadgets and tools, such as wearable devices and home automation, means that we have all become more sophisticated in our use and understanding of technology. So, it is only natural that IT leaders should want to draw inspiration from successful technology giants, especially Google and Apple, in running their businesses. Interestingly, however, IT is getting in the way of these goals, as it continues to produce more Gantt charts than useful products. Non-IT executives are now able to “talk the talk and walk the walk” of IT, but many IT executives, meanwhile, have actually been left behind.