Our Client
As a leading pharmaceutical and healthcare services company (ranked in Fortune 500’s top 20) McKesson is dedicated to delivering high-quality pharmaceuticals and healthcare products to its customers. For the company’s Medical Imaging Group (MIG), quick delivery of superior healthcare technology solutions are essential for continued growth.
The Need
MIG had adopted the Rational Unified Process at the beginning of the millennium, which helped to facilitate and secure the company’s growth for a period of time. But as market competition increased alongside customer demands for new features at faster rates, it was a challenge to provide quality product solutions within the same timeframe. To regain momentum and increase the velocity of new software development, MIG turned to Quadrus, an industry leader in custom application development and Agile adoption services.
Our Solution
Quadrus brings a comprehensive and expertly managed program for Agile adoption with its unique Agile Adoption Roadmap. This program breaks down the process into step-by-step activities that are supported by toolsets to facilitate early success of the Agile methodology. The three-phase approach of Plan, Pilot and Execute was especially attractive to MIG in streamlining Agile adoption, leading MIG to engage with Quadrus for two pilot projects.
During the Plan phase, Quadrus carefully assessed MIG’s development practices and the current make-up of its teams’ experience and expertise. Quadrus also addressed the challenges that teams face when creating software solutions in the heavily regulated industry of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) where adherence to regulations is critical. After collaborating throughout the Plan phase, Quadrus and MIG concluded this first phase by defining a candidate Agile methodology that would be used to pilot the new process framework.
The Pilot phase involved the application of the candidate Agile methodology on two carefully selected projects. After introducing the team to foundational Agile knowledge with Quadrus’ Agile Curriculum, Quadrus and the project teams worked together to apply the methodology to the live pilot projects.
Quadrus Agile advisors and experts provided primary oversight and guidance early in the lifecycle of the projects, while Quadrus Agile mentors delivered on-the-ground advice to the project managers, business analysts and development teams on an ongoing basis.
Now in the Execute phase, MIG is rolling out Agile across its organization with Quadrus’ guidance and assistance. MIG is well on its way to Agile self-sufficiency with the knowledge and tools delivered during the Agile Adoption Roadmap engagement.
The Result
Since the adoption of Agile methodology, MIG’s stakeholders are involved earlier and more often, and are delighted to be seeing working product sooner with no sacrifice in quality. MIG’s development teams obtain critical feedback early, allowing delivery of requested functionality in priority order. Providing a seamless implementation of Agile methodology for an FDA-regulated company remains a significant achievement for MIG.
The success of the two discrete pilot projects reinforced the value of the Agile methodology, and MIG continues its use on new projects. While MIG still engages with Quadrus to help maintain momentum, the role of Quadrus advisors, experts and mentors continues to fall into the background. MIG’s own internal mentors now take the lead, armed with the confidence to approach and respond to its rapidly changing market.