Galaxy Software Services has been promoting Agile for over 15 years, making it the company with the longest history of Agile implementation in Taiwan. I was invited by Flora Hu, General Manager of the Cloud and Enterprise Division, to teach an Executive CSM Masterclass for senior executives, ranging from division general managers to deputy directors, with a total of 24 participants. Before the class, I felt significant pressure. Why? Because in the past, successful Agile transformation cases did not come from companies with such a long history of Agile implementation as Galaxy Software Services. Most of the cases were from different industries, such as: Hung Sheng (construction industry), Pfizer (pharmaceutical industry), Hung Hua International (customer service), and government-appointed supervisors. Compared to the IT industry, these industries had different practices for Agile implementation. Therefore, before heading to Galaxy Software Services, I was particularly cautious and invested a lot of time conducting interviews with key senior executives to deeply understand their actual needs.
I interviewed Flora Hu, General Manager of the Cloud and Enterprise Division, and HR Director Zhenling Huang. It was during these interviews that I discovered the internal familiarity with Agile within the company had an M-shaped distribution—some business units had already implemented Agile with great success, even reaching a maturity level close to the Spotify model, while other teams were still unfamiliar with Agile. After understanding this difference, I adjusted my mindset and prepared to assist them in further grounding the Agile culture in a way that was more suitable for their needs.
The origin of Agile promotion at Galaxy Software Services — The transition from CMMI to Scrum
The reason Galaxy Software Services launched the Executive CSM Masterclass stems from Flora Hu, General Manager of the Cloud and Enterprise Division, attending my CEO CSM class two years ago. The experience had a profound impact on her. She realized that although the company had been practicing Scrum for over 15 years, Scrum had continuously evolved in recent years, leading to a gap between the current practices and theoretical understanding. This created challenges in internal implementation and prompted her to think further about how to truly embed Agile within the organization.
Galaxy Software Services’ Agile journey began 15 years ago when Mr. Dongcheng Yang, the Dean of the School of Information, led the company to adopt CMMI ML3. He deeply understood the value of process frameworks but also recognized that traditional CMMI processes were too burdensome. At the early stage of executing a small and medium-sized business CRM project, with only a three-person team, he was forced to seek a lighter and more efficient development approach. During a course on Design Patterns, he unexpectedly encountered Scrum. After thorough research, he found that Scrum could enhance team flexibility and delivery capability, so he began implementing it within the team. Based on his previous understanding of CMMI, he chose to fully adopt Scrum rather than only using some of its practices. As the team adapted and improved, he started sharing his experiences within the company, gaining recognition from colleagues and even surprising external observers with the team’s ability to continuously deliver high-value features in a short period of time.
During this promotion process, Flora took over the Cloud Division and gradually understood Scrum. After receiving CSM training, she became a “missionary” for Agile promotion and won the inaugural “Global Top 10 Agile CEOs award”. She hoped to influence the company toward a more Agile culture. However, this journey was still in its early stages. The company had not yet fully transformed into an Agile organization, but was instead in a hybrid development state. Currently, product development is based on Scrum, but adjustments are made depending on different contexts. Most project management still follows Waterfall, with only some teams adopting Scrum practices. The extent of Scrum implementation varies depending on the understanding and choices of different team leaders. Some colleagues understand Scrum through internal sharing or self-study and select the practices that suit them.
However, the company currently does not have dedicated Scrum Masters (SM). In most cases, PMs or managers double as Product Owners (PO) and sometimes also take on SM duties. Since these roles are often filled through self-study or selective adoption of certain practices, lacking formal Agile training and organizational support, the value and responsibilities that Scrum Masters should bring have not been fully realized. As a result, Scrum practices within the company tend to be “tool- and practice-oriented” rather than establishing a culture truly centered on Agile values and principles. This is why the Executive CSM Masterclass was created. As more senior executives deepen their Scrum knowledge and undergo CSM training, it is expected that they will drive a more comprehensive organizational Agile transformation in the future.
The most challenging CSM Corporate Masterclass — The intense clash between theory and practice
This CSM course was one of the most challenging classes I’ve taught.
Throughout the course, participants continuously raised conflicts and contradictions between Scrum theory and its practical application. The classroom discussions were intense. We worked hard to answer questions and guide the participants toward finding the most suitable approaches for their own environments.
If I were to rate the difficulty of the course, this class would undoubtedly score a perfect 10. It was, in fact, the most challenging class I’ve taught so far, even including 30 public batches and 10 corporate classes since I started offering CSM courses.
Galaxy Software Services’ Corporate Culture — Humility, Pragmatism, and Continuous Learning.
Despite Galaxy Software Services having promoted Agile for many years, the senior executives were still willing to personally learn CSM, which deeply touched me.
In particular, Chris Yu, General Manager of the Innovation and Productivity Division, demonstrated a great thirst for knowledge and a humble attitude during the learning process. Initially, he felt somewhat uneasy about taking the CSM exam, but when he successfully obtained the CSM certification, he felt a strong sense of accomplishment. Other directors also actively engaged in learning, showing their high level of commitment to Agile transformation.
Summary: The Next Step in Galaxy Software Services’ Agile Transformation.
This course was not just a learning experience, but a collision and deepening of ideas.
From a corporate culture perspective, Galaxy Software Services demonstrated an exceptional spirit of learning and a strong commitment to Agile transformation. Even after implementing Agile for many years, they were still willing to deeply explore and adjust their internal processes through the CSM course, which is the best embodiment of Continuous Improvement.
Looking ahead, with more senior executives and technical teams getting involved, Galaxy Software Services is bound to deepen its Agile culture and achieve more efficient organizational operations, making Agile an integral part of the company culture rather than just a methodology.
Moreover, Galaxy Software Services has arranged another class for technical leaders in June. This group of participants will be the true “Agile champions on the battlefield,” the technical decision-makers driving Agile forward.
The Agile journey has just begun!
