"Not Another Post On Agile?!" Wait. Hear me out...
Surely not another post on 'being agile', 'following agile', 'thinking agile'?! Yes...and no. I'm driven to write this as I've been seeing, hearing, and reading of some confusion and misinterpretation around agile that I believe is hindering many from fully exploring its potential. I'm also frequently asked about agile by those who aren't in software development. Many are curious about how agile 'works' when you're in a different function. Can it really apply in Finance? What would it look like for Procurement? Or Customer Services?
What I'm Not.
I'm not a software developer. I was however very fortunate to work in an organisation that developed software and through that I was exposed to agile coaches and practitioners who were incredibly generous with their time in helping others learn about all-things agile.
What I Am.
A grateful recipient of that training and coaching, which I had the opportunity to apply and experiment with in my own field at the time, which was People (HR).
So Why Do I Support Agile Thinking?
Put simply, it worked. I have personally experienced the difference. I fundamentally changed the way I had worked for the previous 10+ years following the coaching I had and the results I saw.
What happened? The conversation shifted with my fellow leaders and the broader business - namely, we were all focused on the (external and only) customer. My team changed the way they worked. We were working closer with the rest of the business, releasing People 'products' far quicker than before, applying feedback and employee insights quicker, and iterating and improving on those 'products' within much shorter timeframes. The traditional HR approach of working on, polishing, honing and refining a beautiful piece of work to then release *12months after inception, was no longer. We also built a collaborative Roadmap with others in the business that was easily understood by all - and able to adjust based on changing business and customer needs. I could go on about many more benefits - for example, how team members learnt quicker and drove their own career progression - but you get the idea.
Along with my own personal experiences, I've been fortunate to have worked with other organisations who are finding a better and quicker way in working and delivering, through applying agile thinking and practices. For those in People roles, check out Jeff Gothelf's post on 'Making HR Agile' (see Post 3).
(*slight dramatisation admittedly, but often true)
Don't Get Things Mixed Up
I think there's confusion over what agile thinking and practices are, and what they aren't. I've seen recent posts and been privy to conversations where people associate start-up "craziness", or toxic cultures of some technology companies or leaders, with agile. "Yes", agile is commonly associated with technology companies, and often employed by startups however making an assumption that 'agile' is to blame for any negative press, is a tenuous link to say the least.
Signal to Noise
Let me share with you some of the basic pointers that I've found help people separate the signal from noise, when it comes to agile...
Don't get fixated on the language. I often don't use the word 'agile' when working with organisations and leadership. It can create a barrier to change before kickoff. Don't get caught up on the language - instead focus on what you're wanting to achieve as an organisation or as a team, then look at you how you need to change the way you've been working and delivering.
Do have an aligned view as an executive leadership team - then role model and lead the way. It creates real challenges and barriers to ask the business to 'be agile' and change they way they work but yet don't make any fundamental changes ourselves, as Leaders. I've yet to see an agile transformation work successfully when the leadership team has not made that shift themselves, in both thinking and practice.
"...the success or failure of an agile transition largely rests on the shoulders of executive leadership."
I've seen wonderful examples of 'underground movements' where teams and middle management have tried to approach things differently, despite lack of leadership support. Their efforts are to be applauded - they know there is a better way of doing things - however ultimately their journey is significantly harder than it needs to be, driven along only by sheer force of will by those passionate about the need to change.
Don't surround yourself with agile purists. I admire the passion those individuals have for all-things agile however they can have an almost zealous approach to agile thinking and practices which can be off putting to those learning, and often not practical in the 'land-of-reality'.
Find those experienced practitioners who don't overwhelm you with the language and rituals - but instead build understanding around the intent and purpose, the best way to get started, and how to embed.
Do learn from others. There are many organisations exploring agile - some are further along than others, some are in New Zealand, many are overseas. Find out what has worked for them, the challenges they have faced, and their approach. Learn why copying the Spotify model is something that even Spotify doesn't recommend - given they have moved on themselves from their initial structure and practices, that captured the worlds interest. Apply those things that you know will work well for your organisation and take a different approach where needed, for others.
Where To From Here?
Take a pause and think about my suggested pointers above. I had a healthy level of cynicism myself when I first heard about agile - but I am grateful that I chose to listen, learn, experiment, and give-it-a-burl. The way I work now and the results my teams and I have achieved, through applying an agile mindset and approach (with a dash of human-centered design and other learning) has set us in good stead.
Am I an agile zealot? No.
Will I continue to benefit from what I've learnt, to be able to perform in this age of disruption, transformation and change? Absolutely.
Bron Hall is the Principal Consultant for Workplace Redesign, employee & customer experience specialist, and passionate advocate for NZ Inc.
Workplace Redesign. Helping New Zealand's organisations succeed through progressive and innovative workforce and workplace practices.
Website: workplaceredesign.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/d-n-a/