Episode F.037 Creating Change that Builds Agile Organizations

Show Objectives
Agile is continuing to grow as a new way to tackle initiatives by breaking them down into iterative segments. When supporting an initiative using Agile, you must continually reinforce to the business owner and leadership that they need to be more flexible and adaptable. There is a certain level of discomfort involved with letting go of “perfect” change management strategies and plans. Your job is to help your client refine and focus their work so they can become more precise and efficient. Guiding them to  know where to flex and where to relax through the process is critical.

Greatest Contributors To Success
Since agile project development works in sprints, make sure you work with each sprint to understand the change impacts, plan communications, and assess training needs.
Precision, efficiency, focus, trade-offs, early engagement, and balance all must be present for a successful transformation. Monitor these four areas constantly to contribute to success:

1. Early engagement of Leadership
2. Consistent communication
3. Senior leader engagement
4. Early wins

​Common Obstacles
When creating change that builds an agile organization, the end product is designed at a high level, but we don’t know all the details upfront. That means we must shift our behaviors to adapt to changing situations. Here are some common obstacles to consider: 

1. Lack of understanding of and appreciation for change management
2. Organizational resistance to Agile
3. High volume of incremental change
4. Increased pace
5. Leadership resistance

What You Need To Do

To facilitate a transition to agile change management, start by focusing on what you know. Become familiar with the elements that are involved in your client’s end vision: the business objectives, goals, user stories, and the business case for the change. Assess the organization’s culture, leadership styles, and experience with change. Then help your client create a strategic change plan using the following guidelines: 

1. Outline the scope, schedule, and complexity of the change.
2. Identify key stakeholders and how to engage them.
3. Document the needs of each audience.
4. Estimate key milestones and timelines.
5. Map resources to the sprint plan.
6. Document how change impacts will be determined sprint by sprint.
7. Identify key performance measures.
8. Build feedback loops to gather and respond to stakeholder input.

 
written by: Donna Kunde
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