---
title: Why agile development and customer centricity are not opposites
description: "Discover how to blend agile methodologies with customer-centric approaches to achieve success in digital projects, drawing insights from the book \"CRM Goes Digital.\""
---

[DIGITALL Galaxy - The leadership blog for your digital transformation](https://blog.digitall.com)

# [Why agile development and customer centricity are not opposites](https://blog.digitall.com/why-agile-development-and-customer-centricity-are-not-opposites)

 Written by [Sabine Kirchem](https://blog.digitall.com/author/sabine-kirchem) | Aug 28, 2025, 6:30:00 AM

Digitalization does not fail due to technology; it often fails because we set it up incorrectly: being too technology-driven, internally focused, or without a proper customer perspective. The chapter titled **“Agile Design and Implementation of Digital Offerings: Holistically Realizing Customer Goals, Business Requirements, and Technical Implementation”** emphasizes that writing good concepts is not enough. We must also implement them in a manner that resonates with the customer from strategic, technical, and human perspectives.

What I took away from the chapter:

- Most digital projects fail because business, IT and the customer perspective operate separately rather than collaboratively.
- Customer experience should be integrated into every phase of the project, from prioritization to implementation.
- Roles such as “customer advocates” and the creation of integrated, interdisciplinary teams ensure that customer needs are not overlooked.
- The customer portal case study demonstrates how to effectively combine technical feasibility, business goals, and customer needs through sprints, real tests, and short decision-making processes.
- “Agile” is not merely a tool; it is an attitude that works only if everyone involved understands the big picture: Why are we actually doing this?

My conclusion: This chapter is essential reading for anyone involved in setting up or managing digital projects. It illustrates how agile methods and customer centricity can be seamlessly combined - not as opposites, but as a recipe for success. The highlights include clear role definitions, practical examples, and a mindset that transcends siloed thinking.

🔗 [To the book on Springer](https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-658-45798-3)<https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-658-45798-3>

***This blog post is based on the chapter „Agile Design and Implementation of Digital Offerings: Holistically Realizing Customer Goals, Business Requirements, and Technical Implementation“ by Glenn Oberholzer and Sandro Ruberti from the book "CRM Goes Digital – Design and Use of Digital Customer Interface in Marketing, Sales and Service," published in 2024 by Springer Gabler Publishing House.***

[View full post](https://blog.digitall.com/why-agile-development-and-customer-centricity-are-not-opposites)

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