Why you need these four key pillars to transform to Agile
Establish a holistic vision, communicate effectively and work on on these four dimensions for Agile to succeed.
In my previous article: “Agile: Instagram vs reality” I talked about the most common myths when implementing Agile, I recommend you take a look at it!
In that article, I went through the different mistakes that occur with Agile methodology. Now it’s time to think about the success factors. The question we will solve today is:
“What do we have to bear in mind within my company for Agile to succeed?”
From my experience with several client projects at IBM, it is fundamental to establish a holistic vision for Agile models implementation. We must analyze and work on the pillars that will make Agile a success and not a failure. These four pillars are:
1. Strategy and vision
2. Talent, culture and skills
3. Governance and reporting model
4. Tools and processes
1. Strategy & vision
The vision sets the focus and priority on the introduction of the new methodology, at all levels of the organization. In order for this to happen, it is important that Agile is not only defined within the strategic plan of the company. It also needs to be communicated in a clear and transparent way, in order to reach all levels of the company.
Without the support of senior and middle management, it is more complex to evolve to a new working methodology. This is why it is important that all managers know the tangible benefits of adopting Agile for them and their teams; they will thus become ambassadors of change.
2. Talent, culture & skills
This is undoubtedly one of the most relevant pillars, since it is about people. It is the employees who define the success of an organization and who will change their daily work. We must facilitate and accompany them in the acquisition of new skills to try to make the adoption smoother.
Each employee and team of the organization is going to build and validate, little by little and with their daily actions, the final model on which the entire structure of the Agile methodology is going to be orchestrated. In addition, people will be an active part in the definition of many of the Agile practices, such as the governance and reporting activities, and they will help shaping the target operating model.
3. Governance and reporting model
It is orchestrated based on the organizational structure of the company, and seeks to establish the communication channels between all teams and stakeholders, through the famous Agile ceremonies.
It is necessary not only to include and define items for the Agile model (such as DoD, DoR, working agreements, etc), but to re-visit the bureaucracy documentation that is a must, such as Segregation of Duties (SoD), the retention policies as far as we will include a new tool, Information Security Policy (ISP), etc…
In the definition of the reporting model, we will be analyzing and creating the metric dashboards in order to seek and promote continuos improvement. Metrics will be used to evaluate how well the organization is progressing, understanding the current state and identifying what to do to improve.
4. Processess & tools
In order to obtain relevant insights through monitoring and reporting and to apply continuous improvement through their analysis, teams can select one or more Agile tools. It is important to analyze what are the requirements and expected results that we as a company need the most, to make sure that those functionalities are included, or at least try to select the tool that best suits our needs. Agile tools will enable and improve the system of delivery, reporting and the whole flow.
The identification of processes that generate inefficiencies, long waiting time, or tasks that do not add value, is our best chance to optimize activities and maximize outcomes. The Agile model is always based on those Value Streams that really add value to the business and the customer.
To sum up, the key to success consists in establishing clear and effective communication along the company and involve all relevant stakeholders in the change management process, in order to achieve a successful Agile adoption; The governance model and the tools will be the enablers (but not the premises!) of this adoption.
Thank you for reading this article! All you have read is based on my experience and learning. I will be pleased to receive any comments and read your thoughts.
Please reach out to me here or on LinkedIn.
