THE CLIENT
Integrated Aviation Software
Integrated Aviation Software develop and support aviation maintenance and engineering software, providing services to customers that range from regional airlines to offshore helicopter operators, mining operations, search and rescue and medical evacuation teams.
THE CHALLENGE
Integrated Aviation Software (IAS) is a family business that develops high quality aviation maintenance and engineering software. Based in Adelaide they service customers in countries including New Zealand, Indonesia, Bhutan, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Russia, and design software to cater for all types of fixed and rotary wing aircraft.
The agile team at IAS had been experiencing a number of ongoing issues that had resulted in unpredictable workflows and inconsistent project delivery. IAS had previously engaged Adept to conduct a Software Development Process Review followed by Technical Review. Recognising a need to improve the productivity and performance of their Agile Team, IAS engaged Adept to provide technical and management leadership to get them back on track.
THE ACTION
Adept began the engagement by conducting a review of the technical and software development process issues IAS were facing. An Adept consultant worked closely with the IAS team, sitting in on team discussions, providing one on one mentoring, assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each team member and realigning the work challenges to play to their strengths.
Existing processes were restructured to promote better communication, teamwork and the investigation of new solutions. Design debrief meetings were transitioned into shorter brainstorming sessions, with emphasis on improvisation, insight and working together to develop technical proof of concepts through scalable solutions. Team velocity was tracked by sprint commitments, with structures placed to prevent overcommitment and ensure that user stories committed to in sprints were met.
THE OUTCOME
The major outcomes of the engagement included:
- Getting reliable automated tests running on Continuous Integration
- Upgrading the IAS Continuous Integration toolset
- Dramatically increasing the predictability and reliability of forecasting
- Significantly improving delivery on sprint commitments
- Establishing a focused approach to scalable and efficient design
The new way of working resulted in significant improvements in the quality and predictability of delivery, with team velocity increasing by 50%. The reduction in work spikes has enabled the team to focus on building features, while the positive outcomes and improved communication have increased morale, resulting in greater collaboration within the team and an increased willingness to try new ideas.
