To start with, I am a boy from 80’s where there was a phase when everything should get to us via sequentially. Meaning, If I have asked for a Bicycle, it would go through a traditional process:
- Dad would hear to my requirement and the need I have,
- He would analyse and see what sort of bicycle & which brand will be cost effective considering his salary.
- Understanding where the Cycle mart is and how far it is. Before, finalizing the appropriate Cycle mart, dad would evaluate different alternatives by visiting cycle marts to check the prices and bargain to get the best price (Negotiation Skills)
- Finalizing the date which might still fall usually at the end of month as salary would be credited to dad’s account.
- As an end user, I used to eagerly wait to know and understand how the Cycle would be and dream about riding it.
It’s not a concern but what I have observed is with all the turnaround time it used to take for the purchase precisely 3–4 months, there used to be a new model with additional features that would come to the market. However, I never complained but enjoyed the Bicycle with the limitations over the other models which had more features.
Do you think, in the current world any Customer will agree waiting for “N” number of months and giving a product which is not meeting the current market competition?
Times have changed. With that the mindset too have taken an extra mile.
This is where, it is a mandate to be “Agile” in our thoughts, behaviour, mindset to think ahead and give/get the value needed.
With the internet boom and with virtual way of working, things have become easy, or I would say, have become more & more competitive, in a good way. With a click, there is ample data to analyse before we take any decision.
In the current world, the Sequential way of thought process to purchase a Bicycle will not work. There is a need to think proactively & club all those activities parallelly to stay ahead and get the better value in a shorter time.
These days kids are smarter and more initial analysis of Bicycle, if it is a perfect fit is already analysed by brainstorming with the friends along with checking online for the specifications. Identifying if the cost will fit in the dad’s budget which usually takes not more than a week.
Once, kid is clear, then approaches dad with the requirement to accelerate the process of buying the cycle which in a way saves the turnaround time as well as we are on par with the latest competition.
The crux of taking an example of Bicycle is to give an understanding of why Agile Process is becoming more and more progressive. Agile helps to stay ahead of competition, and with the Agile experience I have gained in the years, Customer satisfaction is the key, it increases the speed of time to market and ROI (Return on Investment).
In a nutshell, Be Traditional, but induce the Agile mindset.
This is the continuation of sharing our Agile Stories/Thoughts Series. I strongly recommend referring to the link below for previous insightful blogs from our #teamagile in IBM.
Content of Agile Stories/Blogs
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Disclaimer: The views expressed in the article are my own and don’t reflect company’s opinion. They should not be considered as an advice or suggestion in any way. Every organization will have different needs depending on culture, preferences, size, etc.
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com.