Flemish Youth Welfare Agency adopts Agile approach to keep up with changes
Client:
Youth Welfare Agency, Flemish Dept. of Welfare, Public Health & FamilyChallenge:
- Continuously update DOMINO, a software application with 10,000 users, with greater speed and efficiency than in the past
- Keep the technology aligned with a fast-changing business environment
- Improve data security in response to new government legislation
Solution:
- Establish multidisciplinary business/IT interlocked teams to develop the software
- Institute 3-week “sprints” for regular software delivery
- To quicken its speed of service, the agency has changed its applicationdevelopment methodology from a traditional “waterfall” approach to a more modern one of Agile
Results:
- Automated claims and risk management processes
- Reduced risk through data analysis
- DOMINO software is faster and better aligned with the agency’s fast-changing environment
Who says government IT has to be slow and plodding? Not a Flemish agency for youth welfare. Working with DXC Technology, the agency has kept an important software application up to date for thousands of internal and external users. And it has done so quickly with the latest Agile development methods. Youth Welfare, known in Flemish as agentschap Jongerenwelzijn, is one of six agencies that make up the Flemish Domain of Welfare, Public Health and Family. Flemish-speaking Flanders is one of Belgium’s two biggest regions, the other being French-speaking Wallonia. In addition to Belgium’s federal government, each of the communities has its own parliament and authorities.
Driving efficiencies
The goal of moving to an Agile development process was to evolve the DOMINO application so that it keeps pace with Youth Welfare’s changing business requirements. When DXC originally helped introduce the Agile approach to Youth Welfare, the new development approach required the agency to change the way it formulated requirements and designed the application. DXC trained employees of the agency in Agile ways of working and coached them in the very first releases of this approach.
Sprinting development
One way that speed is delivered is through Agile “sprints.” During the development, DXC delivered a new working version of the DOMINO software to Youth Welfare every 3 weeks. Regular testing was part of each sprint, ensuring high-quality software with few defects. By delivering a working product at the end of each sprint, DXC also provided the agency with software that was easily maintainable, fit for purpose and ready to use.