Agile Transformation | dilemma of choosing a carrier

Who are we willing to dedicate to?

Joshua (Shuki) Yoav

When organizations make the decision to embark on an agile transformation process, one of the key decision nodes is to choose the professional partner who will advise, accompany and most importantly lead the organization in the process.

The process leaders in the organization (and with them the purchasing department) will almost always grapple with the question of whether to connect with one, or more suppliers. The spoon in the direction of several suppliers usually leans the rationale of the fear of “putting all the eggs in one basket” and complete dependence on one source. Even the principled idea of ​​following a variety of voices and opinions sounds, on the face of it, logical. After all, Agile is a framework that can be interpreted – and who said that a particular company holds the whole truth

Beyond that, the Agile transformation is always complex. The size and complexity of the organization have a direct impact on the challenges of the Agile journey.

Other elements, such as the globalization and multiculturalism involved, are also significant parameters in the process that the organization is undergoing.

As someone who has led such a process, I know that the process leaders within the organization have many channels for navigating the transformation. Beyond the mechanics of the Agile (for all its derivatives) there are other channels of activity, such as:

 

Mobility of existingmanagement in a new way

functionaries to new ones

Change of role of manager

Assimilation of new tools

Data conversions

Organizational portfolio

Change management and communication

management in a new way

All this before we talk about the agile routines…

. And on the selection of models for the scale, and for the work of each team.

Scrum, Kanban, Scramban? Les, Safe, Spotify. what’s means the hands of the process leader from the organization will very quickly become wearily laden with decisions

In such an ongoing situation, a variety of opinions and ideas also have a negative effect. It is better to try, make small mistakes and correct. (Agile, no?) Because the time frame is very stressful and does not allow for a stop and a multi-discourse symposium at every step and in such a situation, a number of opinions become a burden. The process leader, followed by the entire organization, needs a clear and uniform voice, which certainly debates with them on specific organizational issues on the one hand, but on the other hand creates continuous momentum of movement and progress of the process. That is – the process leader from the organization needs one professional partner. The leading coach.

This is just one consideration

The other consideration, immediately after making decisions, is the ability to form a team. This consideration is perhaps even more important than the decision-making stage. Remember? Agile = teamwork …

The implementation leader from within the organization together with the coach, the external leader need to know that they are working with a team: the team has diverse capabilities, (team coaching, debops, scales, change management, product management). A team that knows how to cover for each other, help when needed, and most importantly, a team that has a common goal.

Success results of projects involving one or more vendors support this approach. Organizations that have selected a number of vendors have experienced a confusing (long-lasting) realization that over time, in some cases, has simply not “caught on” and the organization has returned to a non-Agile work mode.

It is worth looking at such organizations, which have not “dedicated themselves” to a single carrier: there are a number of examples in the Israeli market. The assimilation did not “succeed” or “fail” – the organization simply stepped out of the process back to its old habits, perhaps with some team-level insights.

It will do the organization good before it sets out, carefully examine the entire existing offering and make a decision on one clear Agile leader who will accompany it on the challenging journey that awaits it. To do this, the organization must be able to “dedicate itself.” And it’s hard. And does not happen in a day. To do this you need to gain trust. But therefore, the process of transformation must be agile:

First stage: Familiarity and building trust, making first decisions about setting out

Second stage: building first successes. learning. Construction of a variety of cases.

Third stage:  scale-up & scale-out – Realization of insights on many cases

Fourth stage: the transfer of knowledge – and the preservation of culture within the organization.

Step Five: Maintenance