How to Become Agile Outside of Software?

Recent story from a technology company: The CEO, seeing the software teams' outcomes from being Agile, wanted the sales team to work in an Agile manner as well. In fact, he told the VP Sales to be more like the tech teams.

A few years ago, this would have been quite a shocker. Technology teams as the model of behavior? Yet, that's becoming more and more the case, because Agile teams have a different impact on business: they work with the whole product in mind, make more strategic trade-offs, are more transparent and responsive, and so on.

So how does a non-software group/department/unit adopt Agile? Here are common approaches, which are sometimes combined:

  • Formally switch the team to using a well-known method, such as Scrum or Kanban.
  • Copy practices from tech colleagues: co-locate everyone, hold daily standups, represent work as user stories.
  • Start managing the team's workload in an Agile management tool or with stickies on a board.
  • Get an Agilist from tech to give occasional advice or feedback on the new implementation.

Doing the research for my new book, Agile for Non-Software Teams, I learned how rarely the first three options turn out to be successful. The fourth option succeeds to the extent that the person is available and doesn't impose the first three options. But why is that? Aren't these good ideas? 

The primary reason these approaches aren't always successful is that the human system that does the work must undergo a fundamental change. Taking on Agile means starting to value (optimize for) different things: responsiveness vs. predictability, outcomes vs. outputs, people vs. standardization, and treating customers as partners rather than as a source of requirements. Adopting tactics alone rarely brings about a change in the value system.

Another reason is that context is everything. The landscape -- business, work, personalities (team, managers, stakeholders), needs and objectives -- all call for custom tactics. No practice can be universally best; for every so-called "best practice" there are teams that tried it faithfully and it didn't work well in their context.

A third reason is the adoption strategy. We know from 20 years of Agile in software that imposing it on unwilling people is usually a non-starter. We also know that implementing it from a standpoint of certainty and inflexibility -- knowing what it should look like and expecting it to be "one and done" -- often ends in mediocrity or a bounce-back.

If your team doesn't make software but you want to be more Agile, what can you do?

Start by understanding your motivation for a different way of working. Which business outcomes do you want to accomplish? Which problems will you solve by working differently?

Next, compare and contrast the Agile approach with your team's current way of working. Not on the tactical level (practices, roles, artifacts, meetings), but on the more fundamental level of choice-making and values. With this clarity, is Agile an appropriate and compelling choice for the outcomes you want?

Involve your team in this thinking about ways of working. What problems are they seeing? What's worrying them? What kinds of change are they yearning for (or anxious about)? Are they willing to give it a try? What will make the experience safe for them? Consider your managers and stakeholders as well. How will you interact with them differently? Will they support your efforts, merely tolerate them, or hold you to non-Agile values?

If you're intent on embarking on an Agile journey, envision it as a series of increasingly larger experiments. Apply it first to a portion of the work where it seems appropriate, is safe to try, and will provide good learning. Decide what you'll optimize for in that area (for example, adaptation and customer collaboration), choose a few operating principles (for example, team ownership and minimizing work in progress), and design a simple process to implement your choices. Do all this with your team, so they own their methods. You might use your tech colleagues' methods as a source of inspiration, but there's no need to copy what they do. Do what's right for you, reflect on it frequently, and adjust based on the results.

Is this approach slower and more work than basing it on prepackaged or colleagues' solutions? Somewhat. Does it have greater unknowns for you? Probably. Yet, growing Agile organically to fit your context has a higher chance of "sticking," making your team happier, and delivering good results. You might find it a lot more exciting too!

 

Véronique Malenfant ICP-LEA, DASSM, CKP, PSD, PSPO, PSM

Lean-Agile Coach (ICF, ICP "Leading with Agility")

3y

"Do what's right for you, reflect on it frequently, and adjust based on the results." Indeed, context is key. Thank you for this great article!

Like
Reply
W. Brett Barclay, PMP

Disaster Resilience & Recovery Consultant

4y

Gil, great article.  I really concur with your closing - "Yet, growing Agile organically to fit your context has a higher chance of "sticking," making your team happier, and delivering good results. You might find it a lot more exciting too!"

Like
Reply
Hass Howard

High-Performance Navigator

4y

Good post Gil. I'm actively applying Lean-Agile thinking, practices, and processes to community development, youth mentoring, and social entrepreneur programs.

Like
Reply
W. Brett Barclay, PMP

Disaster Resilience & Recovery Consultant

4y

Gil, great summary!  I'm in the midst of reading your most recent book and working with Leigh Griffin, PhD and Arjay Hinek about applying Agile and the Small Scale Scrum (tm) to "high-VUCCA" environments (that is high volatility, uncertainty, complexity, chaos, and ambiguous), such as those surrounding a major disaster event...from the initial response through to long-term recovery, and ultimately to true resilience.  Thank you and I hope I can help in supporting your excellent work!

Padmashree Koneti

SVP of Product Management, Tableau at Salesforce

4y

Great post, Gil! Agile is hard, but you’ve done a great job of making sure people are in it for the right reasons and willing to do the work to reap the benefits. Thank you for your contribution!

To view or add a comment, sign in

Insights from the community

Explore topics