Can an IT Help Desk Go Agile?

Have you ever wondered whether a team not normally associated with Agile—such as your IT help desk—could benefit from an Agile transformation? This question recently sparked a remarkable journey for one Tria Federal client.

Most of the help desk team members had little to no prior experience with lean Agile principles, so the client turned to Tria’s Agile Practice experts for support in integrating agility into the team’s workflow, operational model, and training activities. 

This case study highlights how Tria’s Agile Practice helped the client overcome obstacles to achieve significant improvements to help desk teams and the broader organization.

Challenges Before Agile Implementation

Initially, the helpdesk teams encountered several challenges, including technical knowledge gaps that required additional training and knowledge sharing; ineffective and user-unfriendly software tools; and insufficient user training that prevented end users from resolving common issues independently.  

Additionally, response and resolution times were slow, and ticket management was cumbersome, making tracking and prioritizing tickets difficult. 

Agile Transformation Results

Tria’s Agile Practice team listened and assessed the situation carefully to craft a unique transformation strategy tailored specifically to the client. Through continuous training and support, Tria delivered improvements across all help desk operations. 

The Agile transformation led to significant improvements in technical knowledge, software tools effectiveness, user training, response time, resolution time, and ticket management.

Team leads, quality assurance, and trainers collaborated via a Kanban board to capture and visualize progress. Teams exhibited a 45% increase in expertise, enabling them to handle complex issues more effectively. The effectiveness of software tools improved by 30% once they were upgraded for better usability and efficiency. 

Enhanced training programs empowered end-users to resolve common issues independently, reducing the burden on help desk agents by 50%. Initial ticket response times fell by 40% and full resolution times decreased 35%, boosting overall efficiency. 

The IT help desk team’s metric improvements are a testament to the effectiveness of Lean Agile coaching and the team’s dedication to continuous improvement. 

Strong leadership support and team buy-in were two keys in driving the Agile transformation. Consistent feedback coupled with ongoing improvement sustained the transformation. 

If you’d like more information about Tria’s Agile Practice, send us a note.   

Laura Jennings is an Agile Coach at Tria Federal. She is a certified SAFe Advanced Scrum Master, Advanced Release Train Engineer, and SAFe Practice Consultant (SPC).