Infosys follows an agile methodology in implementing capstone projects which contributes significantly to their success. Some of the key aspects of how agile enables success are:
Adaptive planning – With agile, projects have more flexibility to adapt the plan based on what is learned as the project progresses. This allows the team to respond quickly to changes in requirements or priorities. For large, complex capstone projects which can last months, being able to evolve the plan based on learnings ensures the final solution delivered is truly aligned with customer needs.
Iterative development – Rather than a “big bang” delivery, projects are developed iteratively in short cycles. This reduces risk since working software is delivered more frequently for feedback. It is easier for stakeholders to intervene if something is going off track. For capstone projects where requirements may not be fully known upfront, iteration helps discover and refine needs over time.
Collaboration – Agile promotes active collaboration between business and IT. There are frequent opportunities to get feedback, answer questions and make changes collaboratively. This helps build understanding and buy-in between the client and Infosys team. For capstone projects involving multiple stakeholders, collaboration is crucial to ensuring all needs are understood and addressed.
Transparency – Key aspects like velocity, impediments, scope are visible to all through artifacts like Kanban or Scrum boards. This transparency helps the Infosys team as well as clients understand progress, issues and have realistic expectations. For large, complex capstone projects transparency prevents miscommunications that could otherwise derail the project.
Responsive to change – With its iterative nature, agile makes it easier to incorporate changes in requirements or priorities into development. This responsiveness is critical for capstone projects where business needs may evolve over the long project durations. Rather than wastefully building features that are no longer needed, agile supports changing course when needed.
Focus on value – Each iteration aims to deliver working, demonstrable value to the client. This keeps the project focused on priority needs and ensures something useful is delivered frequently. For capstone projects, focus on incremental value helps recognize and address issues early before large amounts of work are invested in potential dead-ends. It also keeps stakeholder engagement and motivation high by providing early wins.
Small batch sizes – Work is developed in small batches that can be completed within the iteration cycle, typically 2-4 weeks. This makes work packages more manageable, reduces risk of being overwhelmed, and enables keeping technical debt to a minimum. For large, long-term capstone projects, batching work appropriately helps progress stay on track and minimizes rework.
People over process – While following basic structures and best practices, agile prioritizes adaptability over rigid adherence to process. This empowerment enhances team performance on complex capstone projects where flexibility to experiments and adapt is needed to handle unpredictable challenges.
By leveraging these agile principles, Infosys is better able to continuously deliver value, maintain stakeholder engagement and responsiveness, adapt to changes, and keep technical quality high even for large, lengthy capstone projects. Early and frequent delivery of working solutions helps validate understanding and direction. Iterative development reduces risk of building the wrong solution. Transparency and collaboration aid coordination across distributed, multi-stakeholder projects that characterize capstone work. As a result, Infosys sees higher success rates and greater customer satisfaction on its capstone projects by implementing agile methodologies compared to traditional “waterfall” approaches.
The iterative, incremental, collaborative nature of agile underpins many of its benefits that are directly applicable to complex capstone projects. By promoting active stakeholder involvement, frequent delivery of value, transparency, adaptation and flexibility – agile supports Infosys in continuously learning and evolving solutions to ultimately better meet customer needs on large transformational projects. This contributes greatly to the programs being delivered on time and on budget, as well as achieving the strategic business outcomes stakeholders envisioned at the start.