How to transform the hierarchical model of a company into Agile?

Embarking on a journey to transform a company’s old ways into Agile isn’t always an easy thing nor something that can be done in a day or even a week. Generally it takes time. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible or overly complex, rest assured that many before you have already walked that path. So here are a couple of things that can help with the transformation:

  1. Training and Education. It is very hard for people to understand the value and power of Agile if they don’t even understand what it is. So investing in your Agile education is one of the most important aspects of starting to build an Agile culture. Ideally, everyone involved should undergo Agile training, but they don’t have to sit through hours and hours of training or attend expensive face to face lectures. They can enroll in our Agile Crash Course to get the fundamentals. It’s affordable, quick and Agile! But if money is a problem, well then train a group of 5 and let them train others in the company. So you can take a train the trainer approach if money is a constraint and you don’t have the budget to train the whole company.
  2. Change Management. Going through change generally involves resistance. And like grief, people have to go through different phases. In a way, it’s like they’re saying goodbye to something they have been using for years, so instead of judging them, sympathize and help them through the process. Getting a Change Manager to assist with this process would be really helpful. They can develop an overall Change Strategy and also a Communication Plan. Communication will be key in the process.
  3. Start Micro not Macro. Instead of imposing a ban on the old way of doing things, pick a Pilot project or a small project to showcase the value of Agile. Make sure everyone agrees that the Pilot or small project will take an Agile approach and let them know you will be noting down the experience so that you can later share it with the rest of the organization. Given you’ve used the older model before, you can compare and explain why the shift to Agile would prove valuable for the business. In the process of doing this, you can also develop a Framework to define which projects will follow the old approach, which ones the new one and which ones a hybrid model. Implementing Agile, doesn’t necessarily have to mean letting you of older models, it’s about striking a balance and finding what suits best in which scenario.

Want to learn more about Agile? Read this EBOOK, listen to this AUDIOBOOK or enroll in this COURSE

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