You finally received executive support to move forward with the agile transformation that you spent months trying to sell to them. The team is excited to start, and so are you. The department is large, approximately one hundred people, and there are several initiatives underway. You start to plan the transformation but feel paralyzed, as there are so many different ways to approach this. Panic ensues. Where should I start? What if I run into hurdles? How will I convince the teams?
Don’t worry. As agile coaches, we are faced with these questions almost daily.
In this article we will share some tips which we have found to be invaluable in overcoming this hurdle.
Tip 1 to Overcome a Stalled Agile Transformation
Transformation Backlog
Agile transformations are similar to any large company initiative and should be treated comparably. Sometimes this is forgotten and companies try to aggressively move forward without any planning. Imagine kicking off a six-month project without taking the time to identify, prioritize and break down the work. It probably wouldn’t progress.
As such, one approach to get started is a transformation backlog.
Simply document the overall transformation goal that you are trying to accomplish, break it down into large pieces of work and identify some concrete action items to work on. This will help turn a large, daunting task into something manageable. Don’t be afraid to experiment, the risk is low if the experiments are time boxed to short intervals.
The key is to start.
Tip 2 to Overcome a Stalled Agile Transformation
Impediment Transparency
Agile will surface issues that have been hidden or avoided for years. Make these issues transparent and work with the team on removing them as quickly as possible. Form an Agile Transformation team, including representatives with influence to remove larger issues, and escalate impediments to them when unable to resolve within the team.
Manage the impediments in the same way as product backlog items: prioritize them, add details as they move up in priority, and break them down into tasks when ready to be addressed.
A Countermeasures Board is one approach for organizing impediments. It provides structure around what should be discussed and is helpful for capturing and organizing action items.
Tip 3 to Overcome a Stalled Agile Transformation
Framework – Scrum or Kanban
There isn’t a “one size fits all” approach for agile implementations. When learning or reading about agile, it seems relatively easy in practice; however, when trying to implement quickly, it becomes apparent it isn’t so easy after all. Every team has their own set of needs and challenges and the agile framework should be adapted to address them in the most efficient way possible.
Start with a lightweight framework such as scrum or kanban and commit to trying the framework for a period of time long enough to get into a rhythm and analyze what is and is not working. As impediments are addressed, the framework will be modified to meet the needs of the team.
For example, let’s assume the team decided to start with scrum as their framework. In the daily scrum, one of the developers raised an impediment that they are stuck on design. Another developer offers to help; suddenly they are practicing pair programming, an XP practice.
Tip 4 to Overcome a Stalled Agile Transformation
Executive Commitment
Another common concern is how to keep the business running while managing the agile transformation. In other words, how will we continue to deliver value to our customers?
Successful agile transformations are an investment. Before kicking off, ensure there is commitment from the executives to slow down the feature work so the team can focus on continuous improvement.
Virginia Satir’s Change Model is a good reference for describing what the company may experience as they grow and change. Review the model with executives and explain work will slow down during steps 2 and 3, but will start to pick back up at step 4. Not only will the work pick up, but it is highly likely that performance will more than double, resulting in higher value in a shorter amount of time.
Tip 5 to Overcome a Stalled Agile Transformation
Non-Agile Teams
How about teams that are not moving to agile, such as Legal, Operations, etc? Move forward with a framework (scrum or lean) and then as challenges arise when working with these teams, identify them as impediments that will be resolved by the teams.
Schedule recurring meetings to identify and discuss challenges and encourage the team to own the resolution of these items. This won’t completely solve the problem, but it is a step in the right direction.
Want to learn more?
Contact us about onsite coaching for help implementing any of these ideas.
Learn more by attending a training.
References
- Problem Coutermeasure Board
http://jchyip.blogspot.com/2009/05/problem-countermeasure-board.html
Virginia Satir Change Model
