Johnson Controls Customer Story

“SAFe brings so much more engagement, which has really been key for all parties. I wouldn’t want to do it any other way.” -Rajbir Bal, Program Manager, Johnson Controls

Johnson Controls Inc. (JCI) is a global diversified technology leader serving customers in 150+ countries and reports $30 billion in annual revenue. ICON coached and trained the Access Control Division, which develops systems to help buildings achieve maximum security while increasing efficiency and lowering costs. ICON partnered with Building Technology & Solutions, Power Solutions, and Salesforce.com to implement SAFe and achieve the goal of faster time to market and increased quality. ICON provided transformation leadership, coaching, and training and helped stand up JCI’s “Common Agile Practice Initiative.”

Industry:

Information Technology

Transformation Type:

Full SAFe® Transformation

ICON Coaches:

Duane Bushman
John Thompson

Challenge:

JCI’s access control division needed to improve coordination among firmware and software teams across three locations with the goals of improving time-to-market, quality, and engagement.

Solution:

SAFe®

AAM Transformation Highlights:

Improved coordination among firmware and software teams across 3 locations
Releases 2-4X more frequently than before
Reduced size of bug backlog by at least 3X
Delivers on commitments 100% of the time
Customers and stakeholders appreciate the opportunity to provide feedback during the development process, as opposed to the end

Best Practices:

Get help – Especially early on, partner with a consultant
Train leadership – JCI trained resource managers, product management, and directors to get buy-in before moving forward
Train SPCs – They serve as change agents and coaches
Follow progress – JCI used automated Agile dashboards in Team Foundation Server

Partners:

Scaled Agile, Inc.

Johnsons Controls