SIA embraces agile practices in IT delivery to deliver the world’s leading digital airline experience.
SINGAPORE - Media
OutReach - October 2, 2019 - Singapore-based
business consultancy why innovation! started on its Agile Adoption coaching
journey with Singapore Airlines (SIA) last March. SIA aims to transform its
business digitally to continue thriving in a rapidly changing global
environment.
why innovation! kickstarted the Agile transformation
program with SIA in March 2018, carrying the specific objectives of:
- Enhancing cross team collaboration within the Business and Development
units to roll out efficient and consistent work plans
- Helping Team Members adopt Agile approaches in redefining initiatives
and products
- Improving the speed of IT departments to develop systems and release
products
- Keeping abreast of the latest technological practices via a customized
Agile framework in line with SIA's context and culture
The
Process of Execution
In the competitive aviation landscape, customers
are exposed to a wide variety of options. With this, SIA is constantly
anticipating their customers' needs, while maintaining a short and efficient
turnaround time.
why innovation!'s role was to foster and
enhance collaboration and communication between SIA's Business and IT
departments so as to improve quality and efficiency across all work processes. With these new practices, SIA is now able to
better control their output, while reacting more quickly to feedback and
results across all different stakeholders.
One example was the 1SQ app, an employee app to
access key company information and self-service functions on the go - the first
of its kind for Singapore companies. Its features include company news and event
announcements, balloting opportunities, self-service tools such as travel
document updates, and leave applications. Uniting features from various
enterprise systems across SIA was not easy but with agile coaching, the squad
launched the minimum viable product (MVP) with core features after three months
of development, hitting a monthly release cycle in February 2019. The frequent
releases and feedback created a cycle that kept the squad focused on
improvements that really matter to SIA employees.
Thus far, the various groups across SIA's business
and IT departments coached by why innovation! have reported improved response
timings, system efficacy, and more stable workflow structures within and across
their departments. Agile awareness is raised among close to 1,200 employees
through a blended learning process which includes professional training,
workshops and coaching practices. The training will continue in different
trenches over the next six to eight months and will continue to result in
higher levels of learning, and quicker response cycles.
why
innovation!'s Role in the Industry of Change
Aside from SIA, the why innovation! team has
worked with several other high-profile clients, including DFS, ComfortDelgro,
Prudential, BNP Paribas, Standard Chartered and Cathay Pacific, assisting them
in their transformation to adopt a nimbler, more adaptable business model.
The consultancy specialises in enabling
internal capabilities for Business
Agility, which is the process of
transforming an organization's structure or nature, such that it can embrace
and constantly adapt in a fast-changing environment. As compared to the
traditional Waterfall Methodology typically employed by large corporations, an
Agile mindset allows for organizations to improve turnaround time, granting it
the ability to continuously adapt to a rapidly changing marketplace, and gear
itself up for enhanced Digital Innovation.
"The transformation program at SIA is a great
example to follow not only in its own industry. The scale of the change, the
speed of adoption and the business impact represent a pretty unique
combination. The unconditional support of the top management combined with the
strong capability of SIA leaders to manage such Organizational Change Program
are the key reasons of this success. As SIA's transformation partner, why
innovation! brings a systematic Agile Transformation approach including a set
of Agile and Change Management assets to accelerate Agile adoption at all
levels of the organization. We are proud to be part of this exciting journey,"
said Yann Hamon, Managing Director of why innovation!.
why innovation! was also invited to the Chief Digital
Officer Innovation Summit, organized by Questex Asia earlier in March 2019.
Yann was featured as a speaker alongside 18 other representatives including
those from S.T. Engineering, Standard Chartered, and Pearson. The consultancy
is also gearing up to celebrate its 5th anniversary this year, featuring a
lineup of speakers consisting of why innovation!'s most prolific clients and
Yann himself as he shares about the new strategies of the company moving
forward.
Annexe A: Corporate Bios
About
Yann Hamon
Yann Hamon is the Managing Director of why innovation!, a consultancy
specialised in accelerating digital transformation by increasing business
agility and digital innovation. Over the past years, the company has helped
Singapore Airlines, DFS, BNP Paribas, HSBC, Chanel, ComfortDelGro, Carrefour,
Roche and many big companies to tackle innovation challenges by nurturing a
culture of agility and enhancing the development of new digital products,
services and ways of working.
why
innovation! is now operating with 40+ professionals in Singapore, Hong Kong and
Shanghai, and has been delivering sustainable and practical outcomes through
consulting, coaching and training teams, organisations and leaders.
Yann carries
over 30 years of experience in software, system and product engineering and 20
years of practice in Organizational Change Management with a focus on Agile
Enterprise, Product Organization and Digital Innovation. Through his
international career in Europe, Australia and Asia, he has worked and supported
a variety of individuals and teams in technology and business, from engineers
to CxOs. He owns a PhD in Computer Sciences, specialised in Artificial
Intelligence for Software Engineering.
Annexe B:
Agile Methodology
History of Agile
The Agile Manifesto, a set of
values and guiding principles, was created as a new way of working in order to
deal with greater complexity and uncertainty in operating environments. The continuous
delivery of working software, and therefore customer value, could be described
as the 'holy grail' of software development. As a human-centered framework, the
greatest challenge for most organizations looking to adopt Agile is to
fundamentally shift behaviors and mindsets. The 12 guiding principles of Agile
enable a more collaborative and motivated work environment, allowing for the
"productive and creative delivery of products of the highest possible value"[i].
Agile vs. Waterfall
In a "traditional" project management (Waterfall) setting,
each project follows the same life cycle which includes the stages such as
requirements (scope), design, implementation, verification and maintenance as
shown in the figure above. The entire project is planned upfront without any
room for changing requirements. This approach assumes that time, cost and scope
are all fixed.
Whilst a traditional methodology focuses on upfront
planning, Agile gives prominence to people, customer collaboration, and flexibility.
It focuses more on incorporating customer feedback through continuous releases
of small increments product, enabling the product to be tested in market and
adapt accordingly.
The
Agile Mindset
Mastering Agile is not an easy task. It requires a fundamental
shift in the product mindset towards an incremental and iterative approach -- a
far different approach to "traditional" Waterfall ways of working. From the
outset, this also means ensuring organizations are truly listening to the voice
of the customer. Practices such as design thinking and innovation labs help in
this regard, but without proper application, bias often creeps in. At why
innovation!, we focus transformational activities on accelerating the delivery
of business value -- optimizing release and product management strategies with
the customer in mind.
[i] The Scrum Guide, 2017, Ken Schwaber
& Jeff Sutherland
About why innovation!
why innovation! is a digital transformation
consultancy specialised in accelerating organizational transformation by
increasing business agility and digital innovation. Over the past years, the
company has helped Singapore Airlines, DFS, BNP Paribas, HSBC, Chanel,
ComfortDelGro, Carrefour, Roche and many big companies to tackle innovation
challenges by nurturing a culture of agility and enhancing the development of
new digital products, services and ways of working. It is now operating with more than
40 professionals in Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai, and has been delivering
sustainable and practical outcomes through consulting, coaching and training
teams, organisations and leaders.
About Singapore Airlines
The SIA
Group's history dates back to 1947 with the maiden flight of Malayan Airways
Limited. The airline was later renamed Malaysian Airways Limited and then
Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (MSA). In 1972, MSA split into Singapore Airlines
(SIA) and Malaysian Airline System. Initially operating a modest fleet of 10
aircraft to 22 cities in 18 countries, SIA has since grown to be a world-class
international airline group.
Singapore
Airlines is committed to the constant enhancement of the three main pillars of
its brand promise: Service Excellence, Product Leadership and Network
Connectivity. The SIA Group fleet and network are also expanding in support of
the development of its portfolio strategy, in which it has investments in both
full-service and low-cost airline operations. This portfolio of airlines
serving short-, medium- and long-haul markets gives the SIA Group more
flexibility and nimbleness, with the right vehicles to serve the right markets.
In 2018,
Singapore Airlines launched the world's longest commercial flight, with
non-stop services between Singapore and New York, as well as non-stop services
between Singapore to Los Angeles, and increased non-stop services to San
Francisco, using the new Airbus A350-900ULR (ultra-long-range). In September
2019, Seattle became the fifth US city in Singapore Airlines' route network --
and the fourth to be served non-stop from Singapore.
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