Resources: Methodology

A successful IAM project is more than just implementing a tool. The adaptation of such a system requires acceptation of the systems and the new processes that go with it, throughout the business. An IAM project therefore also differs from other IT projects in how it touches all aspects and layers of the business. IS4U adapted its project management methodology to cope with these special requirements.

One of the most often made mistakes in IAM projects is rushing into a project with the mission to deliver something visible as soon as possible. This does not mean there is no such thing as low hanging fruit. To keep the analogy going, first find out what fruit you need in your salad, then start picking the correct fruit. Starting with low hanging fruit makes sense if you know where you want to end up.

A second typical mistake is to let the scope go out of control. Naturally an IAM project is susceptible for all other PM pitfalls as well. Every PM Methodology has its ways of dealing with these problems. IS4U adopted the best of each for the specific parts of an IAM project.

IS4U has thoroughly investigated the use of iterative-incremental principles in implementing and integrating Identity and Access Management projects. Upon the great results, IS4U has developed a custom framework, called "Managed Agility". This framework holds elements of Scrum and eXtremeProgramming, worldwide the most adopted 'Agile' methods.

The base of the framework is R3Q4, or how the definition of 3 R's (roles, requirements, splitting of Releases) can lead to Q (Quality). Quality is based on an active, integrated quality policy (Q4): according to following 4 'Quality Loops':

  • Performance Testing

  • Functional Testing

  • Continuous Integration / Refactoring

  • Test First / Pair Implementation (Programming)

Over the course of a project, IS4U determines a number of iterations according to the implementation life cycle as defined in the framework.

For publications on the methodology see: Dutch or French

For more information on the Managed Agility framework for implementing IAM projects, contact