How agile software is working its way into project teams

Is Agile project management really the new wave of how organizations will manage their projects? There’s no doubt that Agile is being heralded as a more effective way for teams across industries to manage fast-moving projects. But digging deeper into this reality is a recent survey conducted by Software Advice that asked project managers about the Agile software features that have had the most impact on their team’s efficiency.

Software Advice, a resource for software buyers and a Gartner company, issued a report of their findings in Agile Project Management Software UserView. We’re going to give you some of the highlights.

For starters, the report has some interesting findings included the following statistics:

1. Forty-eight percent of project managers surveyed use agile software primarily for projects not related to software development.
2. Ninety percent of respondents say workflow tracking improves efficiency more than any other agile functionality.
3. Eighty-eight percent of respondents say scrum boards and activity streams increase project management efficiency.

Here are more highlights form the report:

• While Agile was initially used by SaaS development and IT teams, digital marketing and advertising industries are also starting to see the benefits of fast-turnaround processes allowed by Agile.
• Project managers rated several common Agile software functionalities based on efficiency. Workflow tracking and story mapping narrowly led the pack with 90 percent of respondents saying these functionalities helped them complete projects quicker, while maintaining high quality.

• Of the project managers surveyed, 49 percent said that training others to use the Agile software system was a common challenge. Not only is Agile a methodology change, it’s also a cultural change, and takes time to integrate and implement.

Many organizations agree that developing an Agile mindset is key to succeeding in a fast-moving world, especially in software-driven businesses. And while Agile might not be for every team, it offers solutions to move quicker and respond more effectively to the fast pace of technology and industry.

You can read the full report here.