A true story about our remote agile transformation
This is our story of agile transformation. We were all very excited at the beginning of the program. Little did we know what was about to happen. I will tell you what we experienced during a year-long journey.
Our transformation journey started at the end of February 2020 with a launch meeting. We gathered all functions and related parties together.
First, our agile consultant took the stage and described the uncertain and complex world. He mentioned the inevitable transformation of the working environment.
Later on, we described what we aimed to achieve as a result of the program. The aim of our agile transformation was to;
- Improve the collaboration between cross-functional teams,
- Increase the transparency within the organization,
- Internalize the common goal/purpose approach.
Following that event, we had assembled the prospective agile teams to decide the most suitable technique for us. After a day-long debate, we had decided to use The Scrum Framework. Three main reasons for this choice were;
- Frequent meetings during Sprints increase the collaboration among the team members. (The Scrum Events)
- The teams were product development teams. Thus, it was important to provide quick delivery in a short time. (Iterative Delivery)
- The involvement of the stakeholders improves the team output. (The Sprint Reviews)
After that, we started an intensive Scrum Framework training program for the future Scrum Teams. At first, we aimed to start the program in the second week of March 2020. Yet, the world as we knew it had changed in a very short time before we could start. All units of our company had started to work remotely by the 13th of March.
As a result of this mind shift, all our strategies focused on understanding the effects of the pandemic. Also, how to respond to these changes in a world of the unknown. Thus, we had to put the agile transformation program on hold for a couple of months. But those challenges we had faced during the lockdown had shown us the necessity of agility.
Restrictions were eased during May as a result of zero Covid-19 cases for a long span of time. Then we had transformed into a hybrid working model. Some units were working from home and some returned to the office for four days a week. Our prospective Scrum Teams were consisting of members from different functions. Largely, they were cross-functional product-based teams, from the Marketing and IT departments. Most of the team members were senior employees and had known each other for a long time. But they had used to collaborate in an old-fashioned way of working. Thus, the Scrum Framework was an unknown framework for their functioning.
The second start of the program had launched in mid-June. Our consultant and all team members were attending the meetings through online platforms. Below are the challenges we had faced during this remote work environment. Not only how we had struggled but also how we had benefited from the outcomes of the new world order.
Con’s
Collaboration
The two main aims of the program were;
- engage different parties together for a common purpose
- increase transparency throughout the product management process.
Since we could not gather all members in the same room, the Daily Scrums were held on online platforms. Thus, there was no collaboration advantage of standing together in front of a Scrum Board. Some teams managed to meet at least once a week at the office to work and increase the engagement level. Nonetheless, the technical struggle continued until we had started to adopt Jira. After that, many teams started to use the online board during their Daily Scrums. Thus, they can observe the whole picture of the Sprint Backlog during the meeting. The online board has since increased the efficiency of the Daily Scrum and the involvement of team members.
Meeting order in The Sprint Review
As a result of the hybrid working model, colleagues working in the office tend to gather in a meeting room for the Sprint Reviews. The online meeting platforms need every attendee to have a separate device to connect to the meeting. Yet, in our case, people started to use one device to connect many people to the meeting. So, this type of action caused miscommunication during the Sprint Reviews. People in the same room could not make their voices heard by the other online attendees. Worst of all, they had started to discuss the meeting topics within the room disregarding the other attendees. After a while, we banned these types of gatherings and insist that everybody should join the meeting on a separate device.
Pro’s
Time & Cost efficiency
The time spent finding meeting space and going to an outside meeting had been dramatically decreased as a result of the pandemic. Since our Agile Coach is an outsourced consultant from abroad we had no trouble arranging meetings as a result of new flexible operating times. If times were normal, we had struggled to plan his journey and find time to meet our coach. Definitely would spend higher amounts on the flight tickets and accommodation as well. We have been benefiting from this new order not only cost-saving but also the flexibility to reach and consulting in a wide time frame.
Meeting attendance and the transparency
Top management involvement has been strong since the beginning of the program. The main reason for their support has been their high attendance in the Sprint Reviews. Online meetings have provided the flexibility to move from one meeting to another. Thus, attendance of the Sprint Reviews was on a level that we could not have imagined gathering in the office. This has caused team members to get timely feedback and feel the support of the top management at the same time.
…
If I may assess all the things mentioned above. Last year was the most challenging time of my life. I faced whole new scenarios during this period. These challenges nourished my continuous improvement journey. Thus, I could summarize the whole experience as;
“In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity” — Albert Einstein
As a company, our transformation journey is continuing. We have been learning from experiences we had during these strange times. Last but not the least, we proved that we can swiftly adapt to all these dramatic changes as long as we commit to our journey to bring agility into all pillars of the organization.
