RIM (Blackberry) - Another Agile Adopter Sinking Fast

While many took exception to my last article on the demise of Nokia, I will continue to raise the question on the relationship between Agile software/product development promises and the real world results of companies championing Agile values and methods. RIM is the latest example in what is surely not the last of a company that has, to varying degrees, championed Agile as a way of building better products more quickly.  In my last Nokia article, many accused me of playing loose with the facts. This time I will withhold my own editorial view and let others comment before I weigh in. I am particularly interested in hearing from those now working at RIM and particularly those who currently, or in the recent past, played a constructive role in introducing Agile values and practices to the RIM organization.

Let me again be clear, we are huge advocates for Agile change, but our own experience proves time and time again that large company software/product transformations (and the results big companies desperately seek from these transformations) are often fraught with short-term failure when those leading the change misapply Scrum, or worse, assume Scrum is sufficient to steer the Titanic away from the proverbial iceberg in its path.