Agile Development Methodology for IT Infrastructure Projects?

In the past, many of the Scrum Masters/Project Managers leading infrastructure projects have tried to implement Agile development methodology for their projects or may consider the process for future projects. Since my engagement with infrastructure projects, I have been debating whether to follow Agile practices given the specific characteristics of these projects. There are many key differences between application development and infrastructure projects which make it a challenge to adopt Agile methodology, and these should be considered before taking action.

Unlike application development projects, where Agile methodology suits the majority in the modern era, infrastructure projects require extra caution and due diligence in picking the right methodology. Being an Agile evangelist and also playing the role of an Agile coach and mentor, it may be surprising that I am writing this. However, based on my experience leading infrastructure projects, there are other factors that need to be considered. Take the example of a Disaster Recovery project: while some of the deliverables can be broken down as stories/tasks, quite a few remain at the Epic level and span across multiple sprints.

Some of the key features of an infrastructure project that differentiate them from new-era application development projects are:

• Defined scope of project with a steady backlog
• Sequential and long-running tasks, such as the setup of a server, followed by scan/hardening and configuration — all done by a system admin. These tasks/backlog items cause multiple sprints that are hard to break down into stories that can be accomplished within the same sprint
• Exploratory in nature and requires a lot of triaging between various teams, whereas in application development each developer mostly knows what they are doing to finish the story
• Tasks and deliverables are not iterative in nature
• Difficulty in achieving a shippable product at the end of each Sprint

Given the above points, it becomes very critical to assess the project for Agile and define the right approach. For instance, projects such as Server Upgrades, Disaster Recovery, and Backups are not the right candidates for Scrum or Kanban. However, some Agile disciplines — such as daily standups, frequent demos, task boards, acceptance criteria, and burndown charts — can still be used.

It may be useful to introduce the breakdown of your overall project plan into Sprints and track accomplishments within those Sprints. Many might think that this means following the Scrum framework for Agile. However, key components of the Scrum framework may not be met for the infrastructure projects mentioned above — such as:

• Prioritized Product and Sprint backlog
• Potentially shippable product, or at least end-to-end completion of stories/tasks within the same sprint

I have come across a few Project Managers/Scrum Masters who claim to follow Agile methodology with the Scrum framework for their infrastructure projects. I’d recommend questioning whether they are truly following Scrum with these two simple questions:

• Do you have a prioritized Product and Sprint backlog?
• Do you have a potentially shippable product, or at least end-to-end completion of stories/tasks within the same sprint?

There could be a few projects within the infrastructure portfolio that may be able to truly follow Agile methodology. Some examples include:

• Automation framework for server setup
• Environment refactoring for performance improvement
• Infrastructure monitoring

These are projects where the backlog can be prioritized and key features can be deployed at the end of each sprint.

These are just my thoughts based on my mixed experience with application development and infrastructure projects. I would like to conclude with the key takeaways from this article:

• Make sure to do your due diligence in selecting the right implementation methodology for the infrastructure project. Discuss with others if you have doubts
• The vast majority of infrastructure projects may NOT be ideal candidates for Agile methodology
• DO NOT claim to follow Agile when you are only following some Agile practices but the project methodology is still waterfall

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