Agile Transformation
FOR YEARS, WE’VE TREATED AGILE LIKE IT’S SIMPLY A PROCESS.
Just a new way of doing what we’ve always done. Why is it then, that when we train people on how to use the process, they so frequently struggle to see any benefit? Scrum can be described in less than 20 pages. SAFe can be taught in less than a week. Why is applying these concepts so difficult for so many organizations seeking to get the benefits of going Agile? Why is it so hard…what could we be missing?
The answer is that much of what makes Agile work, what makes it really work, was lost as the general population of programmers and project managers rushed to take advantage of this new way of working. Agile processes require a certain context to be effective. They require us to form teams, build backlogs, measure work, and control work in a certain way. It’s more than just the roles, ceremonies, and artifacts of Scrum. It’s the ecosystem Scrum operates in that really matters.
The problem is that this ecosystem doesn’t actually exist in most of the companies that are actually trying to adopt Agile—at any kind of scale. Sure, many companies can adopt Agile on a small, self-contained project, but when it comes to changing how money is spent, how projects are approved, and how return on investment is realized…we fall short. We struggle with forming the right kinds of teams, building the right kinds of backlogs, and measuring the right kind of progress. It seems everything in the organization is working against us making the kinds of changes necessary to benefit from a more Agile way of working.
The trick isn’t to just teach people Agile, we have to find a way to systematically overcome the structural, procedural, and cultural barriers that are continuously getting in their way. That problem can either be solved top-down, bottom-up, or someway in between. In our experience, we’ve found that removing the impediments will require executive support, dollars, and time. You’ll need engagement from the senior leadership, middle management, and the people on the ground doing the work.
Furthermore, Transforming your organization isn’t trivial…and it certainly isn’t easy. You’re going to need a plan. Yes. A plan. You’re going to need a way to measure progress, demonstrate results, and to economically justify your investment. You’ll need a way to establish hypotheses, validate and test those hypotheses, and pivot when things don’t go as you might expect. You’ll need a way to keep everyone on board and engaged throughout the process.
This paper explores the thinking tools necessary to run a structured disciplined Agile Transformation. It’s broken up into four major sections.
The first section explores the economic rationale behind the Transformation and the nature of the assumptions we’re making about what needs to change. This section consists of two sub-sections titled Business Case and Transformation Hypothesis. Business Case explores the common economic drivers leading most companies to invest in adopting Agile. The transformation Hypothesis explores the considerations that will drive your change approach and why one Agile Transformation may look quite different from another.
The second section explores the thinking tools necessary to build your Transformation Strategy. It will also explore the basic patterns for what Agile looks like, both in the small and at the enterprise scale. This section consists of two sub-sections titled Theory & Approach and Reference Architecture. Theory & Approach will explore the fundamentals of an Agile ecosystem, the patterns of scale, and how you get from one place to another when faced with competing business needs. Reference Architecture will look at the core patterns of enterprise Agility and offer a minimum subset of organizational patterns, governance models, and metrics necessary to establish an effective Agile ecosystem.
The third section explores how to actually orchestrate change and measure progress. This section is broken down into two sub-sections titled Change Model and Results Management. The Change Model section explores engaging your leadership team, and collaboratively building a shared understanding of the desired end-state, and how the organization will take steps to move in that direction. The Results Management section will explore how to measure progress toward the Transformation, and how to know if the Transformation is yielding the business benefit necessary to economically justify the change.
The fourth, and final, section will explore what roles are necessary to orchestrate the change as well as the skills and experiences necessary to effectively lead an Agile Transformation. This section is also broken into two sub-sections: Roles & Responsibilities and Skills & Experiences. Roles & Responsibilities will explore the outcomes and activities necessary to lead and implement an Agile Transformation; while the Skills & Experiences section goes into detail about the attributes of individuals in junior roles, senior roles, and executive roles on a Transformation initiative.
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