Getting to grips with Agile

Feb 29 2016 by Dawna Jones Print This

Find out how you can scale Agile to bring the whole company in better sync with changing market conditions and the pitfalls that you need to avoid.

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More and more companies are turning to Agile software development process to accelerate speed and quality of delivery. What few realize is that the Agile methodology, which centers on the customer and is built for uncertainty, is a worldview that’s very different from traditional management practice.

While some companies have learned to scale Agile to bring the whole company in better sync with changing market conditions, others are mired in tension. The clash usually sounds something like this:

“We already work lean - and we know how to work this way.”

“This is the way we manage our teams.”

“We have an established way of getting things done.“

The underlying message is: “Make us Agile, but don’t change anything.”

Jason Little, author of Lean Change Management, starts the conversation by explaining what Agile is and how to close the gap. Then, Dawna talks to Jay Stanton Goldstein, a partner in the 2015 Learning Consortium report, who explains why the shift takes time to absorb along with the results gained when you do.

In this conversation, you’ll learn:

  • What Agile was originally intended to do and does
  • How Agile coaches can help their CFOs find common ground
  • What situations it fits best in order to decrease risk
  • How Agile is being applied to sales to provide better customer experience
  • Where Agile teams work more effectively than a single person can

As an author and trainer, www.leanchange.org.Jason Little brings clarity to the whole business of change and is well versed in Agile. Certified in Serious Play, Jason’s workshops help practitioners work differently. Jason is also an organizer behind the Spark the Change Conference in Toronto June 9-10, 2016. (Come meet me there!) And read his blog post on the marriage of organizational change and lean management.

Jay Stanton Goldstein is the founder and managing partner of Jabbok River Group, a Chicago-based venture development and innovation consultancy. And a practicing Agile professional.

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Evolutionary Provocateur

Dawna Jones
Dawna Jones

The Evolutionary Provocateur bi-monthly show is for executives, managers, and supervisors (OR for leaders at all levels) who have noticed that it is not what you know but who you are that has the biggest impact.

Dawna Jones, the show's host, believes that by raising awareness and understanding we can make a quantum leap to a new level of innovation in business - but it has to be done collectively.

What better way to do it than by provoking the evolution of how you see yourself and your role!

Find out more about Dawna at www.FromInsightToAction.com