For tech leaders having an agile software development plan for their enterprise — that is future proof to COVID-19, Brexit, and is available when called for — is probably needed now more than ever before for UK businesses.

Many businesses were able to carry on as normal through the disruption caused by last year’s two major antagonists. However, many businesses had to close or go into hibernation, furloughing employees and even parting ways with some.

John James Abadom

Business Partner at IT Labs

As businesses re-emerge from the cold thaw, a dynamic approach is needed for organizations to fare well in 2021, especially by upscaling and moving at speed.

However, in the UK we are facing a skills shortage, and IR35 is officially activated.

Hiring the right talent with the necessary skills, and that is flexible, is crucial for achieving and maintaining agile software development. This delivers high levels of performance within an organization, improving employee productivity and customer satisfaction by applications and systems being made highly available.

Businesses will have placed various programs and initiatives on hold that will now require additional resource planning and Human Capital Management (HCM) to deliver success.

It will be imperative for organisations to have processes such as ‘Software Delivery Life Cycle’ (SDLC) and strategies that embed the use of cross-functional teams, which can improve productivity for the betterment of your staff and customers and help your organizations flourish in 2021.

Brexit is here, and UK organizations that rely on EU IT talent might have to revise, or review, their strategy for sourcing software development teams at scale, and at speed, to deliver business outcomes.

Solutions today need to offer organizations the ability to be dynamic, creating super teams that are highly skilled at using innovation and technology to advance their organization, whether by adopting a Cloud-First approach, embedding ‘Next-Gen’ technology such as AI, RPA, ML, Cloud, etc… or by adopting agile frameworks and methodologies (Scrum, Lean, Kanban, XP, Crystal, DSDM and FDD).

The UK and USA signed a joint Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement (CMAA) late last year, which is aimed at enhancing bilateral approaches that secure and facilitate lawful trade between both countries. This declaration has opened opportunities for British businesses wanting to launch into new markets, or even consider global expansion as their next agenda on their five-year business/IT strategy plans.

Will businesses in the UK be agile enough to consider — and even take advantage of — this agreement and opportunity?

As we navigate 2021, there is a sense of required dynamism and the need to have access to high-performing, purpose-driven software development teams.

Developing relationships with experts like IT Labs might well make the difference for your organization in 2021.

Wouldn’t it be great to face this year with confidence in your company’s ability to further improve the ROI on software development projects?

Should you want to find out more about how IT Labs is working with FTSE 100 and mid-size companies, feel free to reach out to me at john.abadom@it-labs.com to schedule a short discovery call.