Adaptation and speed: Key reasons to adopt agile project management within the IT industry

In the fast-paced world of changing customer demands nourished on the internet, organizations seek to gain competitive advantage through flexibility and timely delivery of goods to the market. These rapid changes make traditional project management methodologies less practical and real. Considering that the information and communications technology industry is one of the significant sectors in terms of revenue and investment in South Africa and the world at large, there was a need to move along with these changes at a sustainable pace to beat the increasing global competition. This leads to the birth of agile project management which began in the software development sector but is spilling into all industries. This paper explores how agile project management affects the speed of delivery and the organization's adaptability to the needs of the market. The research is based on the data collected by an independent management consulting firm in 2017 across 276 practitioners in the South African IT industry. The results of the survey show that most people adopt agile project methodologies with the hope of achieving a fast delivery to the market and acquiring flexibility for robust design. The results further show that when agile methodologies are adopted, it is possible to flexibly adapt to the market but the increase in speed is not significant for most of the practitioners. They also realize unexpected benefits like improved project visibility and increased morale. Agile must be strategic, ensuring goal congruence within the organization. It is recommended that organizations follow closely the agile frameworks and principles rather than chase instant benefits.