Streamlining Agile Transformation for a Leading Aerospace Software Provider
Summary
Aerospace software leader PACE seeks to enhance Agile practices
PACE GmbH, a prominent provider of innovative software solutions for the global aerospace and aviation industry, was committed to solidifying Agile methodologies in their development process.
To progress with the transition, PACE needed to establish a more cohesive and collaborative approach to product development, uniting their multiple geographically dispersed teams and a separate QA team working on their product, Pacelab Flight Profile Optimizer. PACE expected that implementing Agile processes for the development teams, Product Owners, Product Manager, and business stakeholders would help them improve communication, avoid priority conflicts and accelerate releases.
To streamline their Agile transformation, PACE enlisted the expertise of ELEKS, their long-term software development partner.
ELEKS guides PACE through Agile transformation and Azure DevOps migration
ELEKS initiated the engagement with a comprehensive workshop, bringing together key stakeholders from PACE. The workshop aimed to assess PACE's current Agile maturity and establish a shared understanding of the expectations, goals, and context of the future collaboration.
Based on the insights gathered, ELEKS developed a detailed transformation roadmap to guide the Agile implementation. One of the key milestones was the migration of the teams from their existing management system to Microsoft's Azure DevOps, a comprehensive platform for managing the entire application lifecycle.
ELEKS' Agile experts prepared the Azure DevOps environment, setting up workflows, user groups, and other necessary configurations. They then onboarded the development teams, educating them on using the new platform for effective collaboration, estimation, and progress reporting.
To ensure continuous alignment and progress, ELEKS initiated the establishment of a change management board, comprising both ELEKS' experts and PACE leaders. This board worked collaboratively on prioritizing tasks, setting goals, and collecting feedback.
At the team level, ELEKS focused on improving and implementing Scrum processes for each distributed development team:
- Set up the basic cooperation principles for the geographically dispersed teams and started to build a cooperative culture, encouraging respect and openness to discuss different challenges.
- Defined the roles and responsibilities at both the project and product levels, establishing clear guidelines for the teams to follow.
- Implemented processes for tracking delivery velocity and progress, ensuring that each team remained focused on delivering the scope they had committed to.
Refined Agile approach boosts team efficiency and product development alignment
Building upon their existing Agile foundation, the PACE teams further refined their approach by emphasizing iterative cycles with clearly defined priorities. This optimization, coupled with the transition to Azure DevOps, enabled more accurate planning, estimation, and measurement of team velocity, ultimately improving delivery predictability.
The improved collaboration and communication between the development teams and business stakeholders (product managers) resulted in a more aligned and efficient product development process.
PACE's leadership expressed their satisfaction with the ELEKS-led Agile transformation, highlighting the team's ability to tailor the initiative to their specific needs and provide recommendations that were often eye-opening, even for an organization experienced with Scrum.
More projects for PACE:
