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Agile Transformation - a recipe for success

Or: Why Scrum is not enough and you should adjust the recipe to your individual tastes

 

 

Unfortunately, in our experience, most agile transformations in large organisations are prepared like this:

 

3 tsp      silo mentality

100ml  high-gloss foils on frameworks (we recommend here, for example, SAFe)

50g       hip LinkedIn articles (like this one, here)

500g    JIRA

250g    reorganising on the side

20ml   communication (but only skimmed management sauce)

5kg      sticking to old processes

 

Put everything carefully in a bowl, so it doesn’t get mixed up.

Get stuck into the project with enough pressure and expectation monitoring. After three months, when half is already burnt, cover with plenty of consultant‘s icing sugar (from us, for example ;-)).

 

Why are so many companies currently striving towards “agile“?

Due to the ever rapidly changing framework conditions (buzz word: VUCA world), management is more and more frequently choosing agile transformation as an answer. As with all management trends, previously, “agile“ placed the focus on certain aspects of cooperation, while neglecting others. That is process purging, focus on the product and its requirements and, last but not least, on productive, binding discussion between employees. These are very important aspects in large organisations, which become more and more dehumanised through the supposed “professionalisation of the processes“.

However, with all these changes, the interfaces to the existing processes must be carefully analysed and monitored. It is precisely here that hybrid approaches come into play, in order to sensibly interweave the positive aspects of an agile framework with the existing organisational structure.

 

Why we need hybrid structures.

We believe that it is urgently necessary to precisely inspect work processes, management and company culture and the product before blindly introducing new structures. We help in consciously deciding on an individual approach - in our industry, that often means hybrid models. These lack the elegance of a pure framework, for example Scrum, which can be depicted on a few pages. But they do ideally incorporate the specific requirements. Our secret recipe here is: Structure follows function - tailored scaling instead of standard frameworks which only conceal complexity.

 

We provide change management

All participants must be aware that this change cannot be a success without conscious control.

In order for a complicated “transformation tart“ to be a success, you also need to engage the experience of a master confectioner and a proven recipe - because you can’t just spread icing sugar on raw dough and more heat will also not bake the cake any faster - it will just burn it.

But how can a large organisation digest a radical change at all during running operation?

 

In order to increase the success, the commitment of each individual is decisive.
It is precisely here that our change management comes into play, by including and convincing people. Because an actual performance increase may be based on an appropriate framework, however it only comes about if the new type of cooperation is borne by all the participants.

 

csi can provide support both in the development of the process and in the implementation of the change process.
Have you got an appetite or questions for our confectioner? Then don’t hesitate to get in touch with us! We look forward to it.

 

Time for a bit more? Then just keep reading?

 

All good decisions need is a solid basis of information.

In Scrum, the Product Owner freely decides on the (sub-)product according to the motto “whatever the PO deems necessary“ and he also moderates the Stakeholder. Things which still sound like powerful freedom in leisure apps can become a problem in heavily regulated industry areas. How can a single person make sound decisions which are located in the field of tension between design, manufacturing technology, accounting, legal standards and ergonomic requirements?

Lean reporting systems can also help to make decisions in agile systems. If there is relevant data and a clear target range, it is possible for the Product Owner to optimise their sub-product in the context of the overall system.

 

Agile mindset and values - embedded in the company culture

Returning to the introductory question: why should I introduce agile systems or Scrum? At its core, agile means for us an orientation on values and a joint mindset which is guided by acting on these values.

In highly-complex working processes, the agile ceremonies are no longer consistently in the position to fulfil the requirements on focus and transparency.
If we establish hybrid working models in such organisations, the required agile values must be brought in line with the existing company culture. The “agilisation“ of an organisation is not cannot be solely implemented with the use of high-gloss films and process descriptions. If the already established, value-creating processes stipulate a framework, then the agile processes must be seamlessly integrated in order to create a functional overall system. Under no circumstances may competing systems be interconnected here.

Scaled “agilisation“ means a comprehensive change process which includes working methods, tools and, in particular, people with their mindsets and the company culture.

 

Have you developed an appetite to find out more about agile working methods in an individual workshop?
Then our agile cooking workshop is just what you need! Find out more here.

 

CLEMENS HEILAND & FABIAN SCHULZE
csi entwicklungstechnik | Munich | Consulting & Project management
Clemens.Heilandcsi-onlinede | Fabian.Schulzecsi-onlinede

Clemens Heiland

Fabian Schulze

Tom Tielesch

Philipp Fuhrmann


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