Abstract: Are you guilty of being involved in a large agile transformation? See how a multiple offender has pulled them off, the pratfalls taken so you might avoid them, and a few of my favorite tools that you might steal to speed yourself down the road.
5:3:1 – This essential toolkit for accelerating adoption and stifling bad smells emerged from 5 transformations at 3 companies over 1 decade. It is based on hands-on experience from internally leading and supporting large agile transformations of business units of 100-440 people across continents. No theory -- just worn wrenches and bruised knuckles from a company-insider.
What about you? Are you leading, supporting, or recovering from a transformation? If you feel stranded on the side of a cold, dark highway; you are not alone! All organizations and transformations are different -- one size simply does not fit all. But some tools and duct tape can improve your odds. You are invited to see the contents of my roadside toolkit with "open-me-first" instructions. Hopefully there is a tool you can borrow:
- Agile Mindset Alignment so a Tower of Babel is avoided. Tools: Agile Mindset Agenda, Picture Game
- Agile Journey and Vision so the past is managed & a better place imagined. Tools: Journey Chart, Visioning
- Agile Transformation Roadmap so the when, what, how, measures, & value are clear. Tools: Workshop Agenda, Roadmap Template
- Agile Transformation Teams (People, Process, Technology) so nothing is missed and clear ownership established. Tools: Team Structure and Operating Model
- Change Management Plan so the burden of being & doing things differently is eased. Tools: 8-Step Change Model, Change Management Matrix
- Agile Team Training & Coaching so teams are jump-started and quick wins achieved. Tools: Types of Training, Just-In-Time/Wave Adoption Model
- Agile Leader Training so managers are supported & know their role. Tools: Internal Agile Leader Training Agenda, Is/Is Not Game
While these are not all the tools needed for a large transformation, they are ones that are always handy in my trunk!
Lessons Learned from Your Experience: - Everyone has a different understanding of what agile is -- a foundation must be laid so everyone speaks the same language and can get excited about the change to come
- Helping and supporting 2-3 teams ramp up requires a vastly different approach from a large scale transformation effort of 20-30+ teams -- a vision, a roadmap, and change management plan are essential
- Strong, active sponsorship from the top is an absolute critical element; don't bother with a large scale transformation without it
- Understanding where an organization has been with agile (often there are tried and failed attempts) is necessary so any unwelcome baggage can be managed - a journey chart helps
- Organizations need to have a clear understanding of their desired end state (vision) to create excitement to change
- Co-creating a vision with a customized roadmap vs a generic maturity model is extremely powerful in establishing proper organizational ownership
- Agile Training and Coaching is absolutely essential. This includes leaders as well as teams.
- Nothing can replace coaches with real experience to help teams and leaders in the long journey.
- A Change Management plan is essential to move whole organizations to agile; regular wide-scale communication on the transformation is key
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