TCS enables enterprise productivity optimization with its Agile BPO practice

HFS is covering TCS’ Agile methodology (an iterative approach to project management and software development) many years after its launch because TCS is one of few professional service providers adopting Agile practices within business process operations (BPO). We haven’t seen many examples of this approach in the business services industry. TCS has embedded Agile into its DNA. Enterprise leaders must explore how Agile could help meet operational goals within their global business services (GBS) operations or with service partners.

TCS reimagines the organization as a network of high-performing, self-organized teams

TCS has embraced Agile at scale, not just in software but across the organization to create and capture value for itself and its enterprise clients. Instead of introducing Agile incrementally as a team-level experiment in discrete departments, between 2018 and 2021, TCS transformed all its operations teams and clients (through scrum teams) as a network of high-performing teams in a collaborative environment with end-to-end, business-oriented outcomes while facilitating the teams with skills and certifications needed to deliver. The teams are essentially interconnected mini business units focusing on creating value at speed rather than just delivering functional tasks.

Agile helps TCS shift from reactive to proactive

The most impactful value of adopting Agile is changing operations and processes from reactive to proactive, a persistent challenge for the business services industry. Setting up Kanban boards (workflow visualization tool), and dashboards that provide real-time visibility into the entire operation for all stakeholders means TCS teams can now anticipate changes. A great example is one of its Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) clients; TCS saw gaps against regulations and was able to address them proactively.

Hard business impact metrics support TCS’ success with Agile BPO

Gains in speed across processes and delivery, service reliability, employee engagement, and productivity manifest into qualitative and quantitative value for TCS clients, uniquely measured by an index called Agility Debt.  By embracing Agile practices in over 1,400 projects in 2022 TCS delivered savings of more than US $3.7 million both internally and for its clients. Additionally, 70% of clients rated the Agile experience as “Excellent”. In fact, TCS’ enterprise agile journey was presented as an example of talent and cultural shift at the DevOps Europe Summit, DOES 2022.

TCS intertwines lean with Agile to show value faster

TCS sees Lean (a more systematic analysis of process and value streams) as a complementary approach to Agile, although both approaches seek to maximize the value delivered. Increasingly, the Agile model shows the potential to address longstanding challenges for business services operations, breaking down silos between different functions or groups of specialists and aiding the efficient allocation of resources in tasks with alternating workloads while supporting location-agnostic working models calling the flexible working model as the Location Independent Agile (LIA).

Enterprises seek process improvements that can make a material impact on business outcomes. As an enterprise leader, we urge you to explore whether and how Agile practices could help you meet your operational goals within your GBS operations or with service partners.

Although Agile is a powerful methodology and we might see a greater push for the Agile operating model to become mainstream in the business services industry, you cannot assume it is a silver bullet for enterprise success.

The Bottom Line: Adopting Agile will improve customer satisfaction, employee engagement, and operational performance but an impact on the enterprise’s bottom line will need other transformation levers.

For any new operating model to succeed, it must be scalable. Secondly, an organization must understand how it creates value and how it will improve under the Agile model.  To realize this ambition, top enterprise leaders should drive the aspiration of an Agile operating model and collaborate efficiently with GBS operations and service partners. Finally, reinforce the mindset shift among teams you expect to work in this new framework.