Agile scaling factors are important considerations when establishing a project. They include cost, schedule, and team size. Understanding how these factors affect your team will help you select the best agile methodology for your project.

Dimensions of scalability

There are several dimensions of agile scalability to consider. The first is the emergence of a holistic enterprise-wide view of work. For example, when all teams in an organization work together as a team, the entire work of the organization is visible and measurable, enabling managers and leaders to see bottlenecks and make wise decisions about work allocation. The second dimension is the development of precise scalability requirements.

In order to scale Agile, companies must consider the following. A primary goal of agile development is business nimbleness. For this to happen, businesses must implement agile elements. Short delivery cycles help companies pivot their product strategy and improve their technique. In short, they should look at both dimensions to maximize the benefits of their agile approach. If one is missing, it can lead to problems later. One way to address this is by using LeSS or Nexus, two popular lightweights, agile approaches.

Impact on teams

The impact of agile scaling factors on teams can be substantial and complex. Organizations often go for easy wins by coddling teams to ensure success. This approach does the opposite: it creates an environment where team members don’t know one another and rarely make organizational changes. Moreover, early agile teams carry the burden of destiny. This is why it’s important to conduct tests and experiments under realistic circumstances. For example, if you have three to four teams working on one large initiative, you may not feel a sense of urgency to deliver early and may not see early increments as necessary.

While agile is fundamentally about precise, structured coordination, it becomes increasingly important to scale. As a result, there are more points of coordination to consider. In addition to inter-team dependency, your scaling approach should consider go-to-market readiness coordination, status updates, and future planning. Identifying these points of coordination can help you implement agile effectively at scale. And when your team has the momentum, it’s easy to scale it.

Impact on cost

For example, one global financial services company used an agile efficiency method to examine cost drivers for its projects. They discovered that the main cost driver was the number of departments involved. Agile pilots were designed around collaborative teams, which empowered them to make independent decisions and move quickly. While these methods did not provide the same cost savings as waterfall methods, they significantly improved the client’s bottom line. This case study provides a useful example of the impact of agile scaling factors on cost.

Agile processes are more efficient, emphasize prioritization, and cut down on overhead roles. But despite the popularity of agile methodologies, many companies struggle with how to scale the methodology. To improve organizational complexity, organizations must understand the factors that influence their success.