The actual agility that goes beyond the pure use of agile methods means that the goals linked to the introduction of agile methods are achieved. This and the trend toward agility are confirmed by the results of our current study "Agile Pulse 2022".  

Despite the promised high relevance of agile methods, the desired goals have not yet been achieved across the board. 

There are many reasons for introducing agile methods, the most common being  

-improved responsiveness 

- improved collaboration 

- increased speed  

- improved product quality. 

It becomes apparent that some organizations think primarily product-driven and put their customers first, while others act more in relation to their employees. If the desired goals of the introduction of agile methods are compared with the improvements actually achieved, it becomes clear, however, that eight out of nine goals have not yet been achieved on average. 

Maturity and application levels: Agile methods in 30 percent of those surveyed and increasingly at higher organizational levels. The agile methods are initially used mostly at the team level. In addition, agility is also actively used at the program, management, and strategy/portfolio level. Compared to the study results from 2020, an increase of 15 percent in terms of the use of agile methods at the management level is particularly evident. On average, the participants have been using one or more agile methods for more than five years. 

Six dimensions to measure the holistic agility of organizations:  

- Culture 

- Processes 

- Products 

- Structures 

- Technologies 

- Methods 

Through the holistic implementation of agile transformations, taking into account all dimensions, an agile state (= agile maturity) must be achieved and maintained, which must be consistently further developed. This is the foundation that enables organizations and their people to be agile instead of just acting agile. In order to quantify the concrete benefit of a holistic agile transformation, the influence on the following three aspects was measured: achievement of organizational goals associated with agility, job satisfaction of employees, and resilience to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Significant improvements at the organizational and employee level 

Organizations associate certain goals with the introduction of agility, the achievement of which depends on the agile maturity level. The study makes it clear that organizations with a higher degree of agile maturity also have a higher degree of goal achievement. Furthermore, agility shows positive effects at the employee level: according to the results, holistic agility increases employee identification and satisfaction. 

Agility vs. COVID-19 

In general, the more agile the organization, the more resilient it is in times of crisis. This was particularly evident during the pandemic. Pre-pandemic and post-pandemic aspirations were broadly similar across Agile maturity levels, but there were clear differences in how home office/remote work was handled during the pandemic. This suggests higher adaptability with practiced agility. 

Drivers and challenges

 Different management levels are only partially perceived by the participants as drivers of agile transformation. Respondents classify factors of change in particular as a challenge. 

Future relevance of agility 

91 percent of the participants see the relevance of agility increasing in the future. This varies across industries. The greatest potential is seen in the area of IT and software development at 64 percent, while the lowest potential is in the legal department. 

Is your company ready to react quickly, flexibly, and innovatively to changing customer requirements? 

Existing business models are being challenged by digitization to an unprecedented extent. Agility enables companies, as well as institutions and authorities, to adapt flexibly and quickly to increasingly disruptive markets. Developing innovative products and services in a requirement and result-oriented manner is becoming an increasingly important success factor for the future competitiveness of companies.