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ETAS
Optimizing Agile to deliver on business strategy
ETAS selects IBM Targetprocess for enhanced enterprise Agile planning
As an automotive software company, ETAS is no stranger to Agile methodology. Years ago, the organization began the transition from a traditional waterfall methodology to Agile at the team level. Several Scrum teams operated across the company, but these teams used different tools to manage their work, and Release Trains were managed using MS Project.
This heterogeneous tool landscape created several challenges. Managers had very limited visibility into what each team was working on, and teams managed their backlog using sticky notes. This situation made it difficult to align the work of teams with strategic objectives.
“The problem was that the work of the individual teams didn’t really fit together to form larger solutions,” says Richard Mutschler, Head of Lean Agile Centre of Excellence (LACE) at ETAS. “And our customers need these larger solutions to solve their problems.”
To address this challenge, ETAS implemented Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), a standard framework of processes and workflow patterns designed to optimize work for teams and scale Agile practices.
However, moving to SAFe was only part of the solution. ETAS soon realized that implementing SAFe without a common platform for enterprise Agile planning did not allow the company to manage Agile processes effectively for its complex portfolio. For this capability, ETAS chose IBM® Targetprocess.
Targetprocess allows managers to see everything Agile teams are working on because each team member uses the platform to manage their own work items. This enables managers to view the status of every project, manage workload and reassign developers to higher-priority projects in alignment with ETAS’ strategic objectives.
“We don’t just use IBM Targetprocess to manage work packages,” says Mutschler. “We use it to develop our objectives and key results (OKRs) to achieve alignment with a common, strategic goal. Historically, our adherence to roadmap KPI was 50%-60%. After implementing SAFe and IBM Targetprocess, this KPI is consistently over 90%.”
According to Mutschler, developers use Targetprocess as a common platform, reducing the overhead of supporting a wide range of tools and allowing them to manage the company’s complex project portfolio more effectively than they could before.
This consolidation has simplified the development process and enabled more effective program increment (PI) planning. “Transparency of alignment is the main value, especially when we do PI planning,” Mutschler says. “It’s a great tool with all the planning boards we have to visualize dependencies so that everyone sees the part of the work that they need in the end.”
ETAS also uses Targetprocess to achieve important operational improvements, which include:
- Reducing significantly the time required to respond to customer requests
- Replacing manual testing with automated testing to save time and increase efficiency
- Establishing transparency that optimizes processes and enhances collaboration
These benefits have made ETAS’ development teams more productive and led to increased confidence from customers regarding the reliability and quality of the products being delivered.
Advice for others implementing Agile
ETAS has significantly advanced its Agile transformation using IBM Targetprocess, but more is yet to come. For the next iteration, the company’s leaders are looking to expand the use of Targetprocess, and implement comprehensive, overarching portfolio management for the entire organization.
When asked for any advice for others seeking to implement Agile practices, Mutschler adds, “Be patient. When it comes to agility, mindset and principles are very important, because in the end, it’s about the way we work together, how we lead the company, and how we make decisions.”
Building an environment where this mindset could grow was essential for the success at ETAS, and Targetprocess was a key element. “When we show colleagues the potential of IBM Targetprocess, they say, ‘I want that. You’ve got a cool product, and I want to have it, and please make sure I can get it as quickly as possible.’ We have achieved such a high level of acceptance that we have a waiting list for new users.”
ETAS (link resides outside of ibm.com) is a leading software company headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Robert Bosch GmbH. The company provides solutions for the realization of software-defined vehicles. ETAS’ portfolio includes software development tools, software testing solutions, automotive middleware, data acquisition and processing tools, authoring and diagnostic solutions, automotive cybersecurity solutions, and end-to-end engineering and consulting services.
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