Key Insights

Org Change Versus Project Level Coaching

Agile transformation is a major org change - not merely project level coaching. Read more...

Business Goal Versus Agile Goal

The goal is never to become “Agile”, “Lean”, or any other paradigm; there is always an underlying business goal, and that should be the driver - not “the paradigm”. Further, the timeframe for change - the urgency - is an important factor when planning transformation. Read more...

Executive Leadership Required

Substantial senior executive engagement is required - just as for any major org change. The management level collaboration that is needed will not happen through self organization. Read more...

Most Impediments Are Management Level - Not Team Level

Most of the impediments are not team level, but rather are management level or cultural, pertaining to business processes, policies, service contracts that are in place, entrenched silos between functions that need to collaborate, tremendous skills gap with agile tools, and mindset and cultural gaps with respect to how to do things the “agile way”. Read more...

Pilots Do Not Sufficiently Inform On Transformation Challenges

Isolated pilots do not reveal the challenges. The challenges appear when one tries to apply agile to all projects, or when one pilots the way that integration must occur. Regardless, pilots can provide a window into “how things could be”. Read more...

No Single Approach Works

There is no single approach that works: one cannot simply focus on culture, or focus on skills, or on processes, or on incentives, or on contracts: all these things must be addressed in parallel, in a issue-driven approach with relentless driving and follow-through and re-calibration. Read more...

Roadmaps Will Be Wrong But Roadmapping Is Crucial

A long-term transformation roadmap will be wrong; yet creating a long term roadmap is essential in order to establish and maintain an ongoing aggressive transformation, with the understanding that the roadmap will change continually. Read more...

Devops Is Key But Not Everything

Devops is a key element, but it is only part of the picture.

Frameworks (e.g., SAFe) Are Important But Not Everything

IT process frameworks such as SAFe are a key element, but are only part of the picture.

Important To Get Key Choices Right

There are many key choices that will have a huge impact on how well things go. Read more...

Agile Substantially Impacts Business and Portfolio Level

Agile impacts many business IT (and non-IT) functions that are way above the team software level, including how an organization defines and manages its IT portfolio, how value and success are measured at a portfolio level, and how work is contracted for. Agile also impacts how employees are assessed, and has major implications for Human Resources including a focus on hiring people for their general skills and learning ability rather than for specific “buzzword” skills. Read more...

Cultural Differences Matter

Regional differences (Europe, Eastern Europe, US, East Asia, India, Latin America, ...), as well as differences in culture from one organization to another (government versus corporation, hierarchical versus decentralized), make a big difference in terms of what the impediments will be for an agile transformation.