9 ways to get started with Agile in public services
Basis helps public services tackle messy problems. We use agile approaches that aim to improve services quickly.
We also help public services to develop the confidence to work in an agile way on their own projects through our Agile Master in Public Services training programme.
Agile is an iterative approach to delivering projects that values communication and feedback, adapting to change and testing solutions quickly.
In practice, this means that agile teams don’t formulate a massive plan ahead of time and assume it can be followed through as originally conceived. Instead, they test solutions to problems quickly to understand what works in practice and not just in theory. Usually, teams work in short sprints; they prioritise what to work on in each sprint in response to learning and real data.
Recent research from the The Liberators Network has shown that this approach leads to happier stakeholders, higher team morale, and improved business outcomes.
In reality, Agile is a mindset and not a method. There are many frameworks that exist to help teams put the mindset into action. Although people understand these frameworks in theory I’ve noticed they sometimes struggle to get started.
Recently, my colleague Kelly Buis and I were refreshing some of our training content and were kicking around this problem. We started discussing the practices we might encourage people to try out as individuals and teams. We wrote some stuff and then came to the conclusion that although the information was useful it made for boring training content.
Nonetheless, for those who want to work in a more agile way and looking for ways to get started, I think you’ll find some useful practices. They range from simple things you can do as an individual, to more ambitious approaches that will involve your wider team.
This is by no means a definitive list, nor is it in any kind of order. Had someone else in Basis taken on the task, it would have looked very different.
But if you decide to give any of them a go, let us know how you get on.
