Why Agile Fails in Software Configuration Projects
...and why a hybrid approach will save your sanity and your go-live.
Note to my glorious readers: This is not an anti-Agile rant.
Agile is powerful. Flexible. Beloved by developers everywhere. But like any good tool, it only works when you’re solving the right problem. And when it comes to configuring complex platforms like billing or revenue systems…Agile often misses the mark.
Here’s why:
1. Agile Was Built for Building, Not Configuring
Agile was designed for software development where teams build functionality from the ground up. When you're writing new code, evolving requirements and small iterations make perfect sense.
But configuration projects? We’re working with a prebuilt platform. Small changes don’t mean small effort, they often trigger reconfiguration, require comprehensive retesting, and may break more things than they fix.
Think of it like remodeling a kitchen: you can’t “iterate” on moving the plumbing. You have to plan it, commit, and get it done right the first time.
2. The Documentation Dilemma in Configuration Work
One of Agile’s pillars is “less documentation, more working software” which works fine in a dev shop where the codebase is tribal knowledge. But in a configuration project, that’s a recipe for confusion.
Without clear documentation of business processes, decisions, and configuration rationale, you’re left with a black-box system no one understands six months later. Decision rationelle is lost. And forget about scaling, training, or supporting the system when the original team moves on.
3. Why Agile Doesn’t Move Faster in Enterprise Projects
Agile is often mistaken for a faster delivery method. It’s not. It’s a more flexible one which can actually slow you down when applied to projects with fixed budgets, fixed deadlines, and fixed scope (you know… like most enterprise implementations).
When requirements shift mid-sprint, you don’t just “pivot”... you often redo core configurations, break downstream dependencies, and double your testing effort. That’s not agility. That’s spinning your wheels.
4. How Scope Creep Derails Agile Configuration Projects
In Agile, evolving requirements are part of the process. In configuration, they’re a risk.
A small change in a requirement may seem harmless, but it could mean reworking an entire module. Multiply that across multiple sprints and suddenly you're drowning in rework, regression testing, and frustration from every corner of the business.
5. The Misunderstanding of Agile
We hear it all the time:
“We’re an Agile shop.”
That’s great, but you’re not building software from scratch. You’re implementing an existing platform. If you don’t have clear requirements, defined success criteria, or a stable MVP, Agile becomes a license to delay decisions and avoid documentation, neither of which help us go live.
6. A Hybrid Approach Works Better for Prebuilt Platforms
This isn’t an anti-Agile rant. Agile has its place. But for platform configuration, the right move is almost always a hybrid delivery model:
Define your MVP clearly and upfront
Align the platform’s prebuilt capabilities to your use cases
Document the “why” behind every decision
Use Agile principles to manage enhancements after go-live, not during foundational build
This method may feel slower at first but it avoids duplicative configuration, unnecessary testing cycles, and post-launch surprises. It pays dividends.
Final Thoughts: Strategy Over Iteration
This gets debated a lot, especially by teams coming from dev-heavy backgrounds. “We can just collect requirements and build as we go.”
Sure, if you’re writing code. But when you’re configuring a system with predefined logic, dependencies, and cross-functional modules, that approach usually leads to fragmented delivery, failed testing, and user frustration.
You're not building a new billing system. You're aligning an existing one to your needs. That requires clarity, strategy, and discipline, not unchecked iteration cycles.
So yes, we can be agile. But let's do it with a lowercase “a” - thoughtfully, strategically, and where it makes sense.
Implementing a new platform and unsure if Agile is the right fit?
Let’s talk about what a hybrid delivery model could look like for your team.
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