{"id":31779,"date":"2019-02-19T04:00:23","date_gmt":"2019-02-19T12:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jamasoftware.com\/?p=31779"},"modified":"2023-01-12T16:51:49","modified_gmt":"2023-01-13T00:51:49","slug":"agile-for-regulated-industries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jamasoftware.com\/legacy\/blog\/2019\/02\/19\/agile-for-regulated-industries\/","title":{"rendered":"Agile Software Development Practices for Regulated Industries"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

In 2001, gathered together in Snowbird, Utah, a group of 17 like-minded software developers brainstormed ways to quickly build software and get it into the hands of end-users. Out of this meeting the Agile Manifesto was born.<\/p>\n

The iterative and incremental methodology of Agile has generally been accepted as a modern approach to software development and has high adoption rates across many industries. However, with fluidity and responsiveness to change at the forefront of Agile\u2019s methodology, many organizations believe that Agile is not compatible with highly regulated industries. Lack of planning and documentation, they wrongly believe, are reasons why Agile cannot work for those building products under regulatory compliance.<\/p>\n

The truth is that using Agile for product development within regulated industries is actually true to the Agile Manifesto. Here\u2019s why:<\/p>\n

Agile is a Set of Values, Not a Set of Rules <\/strong><\/p>\n

The full Agile Manifesto<\/a> is a succinct and comprehensive overview of the framework\u2019s principles, and the gist is quite simple. Agile is a methodology that encourages teams to iterate; to communicate with stakeholders, customers and suppliers; to not go crazy with documentation; and to be good human beings at work. Pretty simple, right?<\/p>\n

So why do many organizations in regulated industries believe that Agile is not feasible?<\/p>\n

While dealing with audit requirements and regulatory compliance, the idea of fluidity and \u201cresponding to change over following a plan\u201d may have those in regulated industries cringing. But where in the Agile Manifesto does it say that planning and documenting have no place in your software development process? It doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

The truth is, adopting Agile values just means you are agreeing to open communication, iterating\u00a0and\u00a0focusing\u00a0on delivering a product. Values are just one part of the product development process \u2013\u00a0organizations in highly regulated industries can adopt Agile values but still select a stricter framework and strategy to adhere to regulatory standards and document their processes.<\/p>\n

And while documentation is not discouraged in Agile, teams are encouraged to view working software as a better indicator that the product meets requirements rather than reams of documentation.<\/p>\n

Why Choose Agile for Regulated Industries? <\/strong><\/p>\n

Waterfall<\/a> has traditionally been a popular choice for highly regulated industries. And yet, the number of organizations adopting Agile now due to very low success rates with Waterfall is rising. With fixed requirements and rigidity as the basis for Waterfall processes, there\u2019s very little room for change and flexibility as requirements evolve.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, teams who have adopted an Agile methodology are highly focused on creating products that meet end-users\u2019 needs. And Agile gives them the flexibility to be both iterative and fluid.<\/p>\n

Agile methodologies also allow for (and encourage) communication between customers, stakeholders and suppliers. You\u2019ll be able to see in real time what\u2019s working and what\u2019s not and, in turn, keep tabs on what your customers want. By constantly reexamining customer needs and wants, Agile teams are more likely to deliver a product that meets users\u2019 expectations. This, simply put, can be your competitive advantage.<\/p>\n

Agile not only makes good business sense but may also help your employees feel happier and more fulfilled at work. Adopting the Agile methodology empowers your engineering and product development teams to change as they need and to use their professional judgement. It allows them to have open communication, to know that what they’re building is useful, and to feel that they are being respected and heard.<\/p>\n

Leveraging Jama Connect\u2122 for Agile Documentation <\/strong><\/p>\n

When adopting Agile in highly regulated industries, it\u2019s important that you work closely with auditors \u2014 internal or external \u2014\u00a0to clearly communicate your documentation processes. This is where Jama Connect\u2122 comes in.<\/p>\n

Jama Connect is your single source of truth when it comes to complex product development. It allows you to document and communicate your requirements and what you\u2019re setting out to build, and gives you a record of who, what and why things changed along the way. Plus, if you decide to make a change or switch directions, everything is fully reversible.<\/p>\n

Real-time collaboration within Jama Connect gives you a platform to discuss change by connecting comments, decisions and reasoning throughout the project. With closer communication (in accordance with Agile methodology), teams experience increased productivity, a shorter design process and critical context for improved decision-making.<\/p>\n

Jama Connect provides your team with valuable information to help them decide when and how to make changes.<\/p>\n

Is Agile Right for Your Team? <\/strong><\/p>\n

While Agile is compatible with all industries \u2014 even those with strict regulatory standards \u2014 it all comes down to choosing a methodology that is right for your team. A good place to start is by identifying what values are most important to you and your organization and examining your processes to understand what you want to achieve.<\/p>\n

Download our whitepaper, <\/strong>Agile for the Enterprise<\/em><\/strong>,<\/strong><\/a> to learn more about successfully implementing Agile in regulated and governed industries. <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Despite a common misconception, Agile is compatible with all industries \u2013 even those with strict regulatory standards. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":45162,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[855],"tags":[146,147,76,158],"industry":[582,581,579,574],"class_list":["post-31779","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-software-development","tag-agile-manifesto","tag-agile-software-development","tag-bestof2019","tag-modern-agile","industry-aerospace-defense","industry-automotive","industry-government","industry-medical-devices"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAgile Software Development Practices for Regulated Industries - Jama Software<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Despite common misconception, Agile is compatible with all industries \u2013 even those with strict regulatory standards.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jamasoftware.com\/blog\/2019\/02\/19\/agile-for-regulated-industries\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Agile Software Development Practices for Regulated Industries\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Despite common misconception, Agile is compatible with all industries \u2014 even those with strict regulatory standards.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.jamasoftware.com\/blog\/2019\/02\/19\/agile-for-regulated-industries\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Jama Software\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-02-19T12:00:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-01-13T00:51:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Cassandra Hughes\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Agile Software Development Practices for Regulated Industries\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Despite common misconception, Agile is compatible with all industries \u2014 even those with strict regulatory standards.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Cassandra Hughes\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.jamasoftware.com\\\/blog\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/19\\\/agile-for-regulated-industries\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.jamasoftware.com\\\/blog\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/19\\\/agile-for-regulated-industries\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Cassandra Hughes\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.jamasoftware.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/658b162b33942ca9a7bede43d33f870f\"},\"headline\":\"Agile Software Development Practices for Regulated Industries\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-02-19T12:00:23+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-01-13T00:51:49+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.jamasoftware.com\\\/blog\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/19\\\/agile-for-regulated-industries\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":822,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.jamasoftware.com\\\/blog\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/19\\\/agile-for-regulated-industries\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.jamasoftware.com\\\/media\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/Community-Voices.png\",\"keywords\":[\"agile manifesto\",\"Agile Software Development\",\"Best Jama Blog Posts of 2019\",\"Modern Agile\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Software Development\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.jamasoftware.com\\\/blog\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/19\\\/agile-for-regulated-industries\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.jamasoftware.com\\\/blog\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/19\\\/agile-for-regulated-industries\\\/\",\"name\":\"Agile Software Development Practices for Regulated Industries - 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