Scaled Agile Implementation – Lesson Learned, Path Forward

As with many IT organisations within companies started in the last century, Intel IT had a strong legacy of waterfall programme and project management practices, small pockets of agile development teams and emerging DevOps practices with mixed results and limited visibility. Starting in 2019, Intel IT started our path implementing an industry-standard scaled agile framework amidst a broader digital transformation initiative. As we progressed through identifying our development value streams, launching our agile release train teams and then implementation of lean portfolio principles, we have observed and learnt many benefits, as well as the limitations of leveraging a scaled agile framework. The framework allowed our organisation to enhance business transparency, stabilise operations, increase focus on reducing ageing infrastructure and reinvigorate disciplined project execution. While those benefits were impactful, we also encountered challenges in executing large, complex initiatives, obtaining a clear portfolio demand prioritisation, and integrating our operating model with broader corporate processes.

Background

Intel operates a global Supply Chain that is only increasing in complexity due to the more complicated nature of the emerging modular products, our increased reliance on external manufacturers / suppliers and the constraints driven by the pandemic.   

The Supply Chain network is spread across 20 countries, engages greater than 16,000 supplier and sources, builds and distributes more than 50,000 unique products