What part of “Agile Transformating”

companies don’t get??? Tathagat Varma

http://thoughtleadership.in

Discussion points

•  Why change is hard?

•  What is transformation “transformating”?

•  Top 10 Agile Transformating Antipatterns

Lewin’s Force Field Analysis

Status Quo New Status

Driving Forces Restraining Forces

Why “refreeze”?

“A change towards a higher level of group performance is frequently short-lived, after a "shot in the arm", group life soon returns to the previous level. This indicates that it does not suffice to define the objective of planned change in group performance as the reaching of a different level. Permanency of the new level, or permanency for a desired period, should be included in the objective.”

Kurt Lewin, "Frontiers of Group Dynamics",

Waterfall, the “Status Quo”

Accompanied, supported, and reinforced by – •   Mindset •   Talent •   Culture •   Structure •   Process •   Policies •   Practices •   Infrastructure •   Tools •   ...

Agile, the “New Status”

What really is “agile”?

Mindset

Culture

Process

Methods

Tools

So, what is “transformating”?

•   A radically different change (“10X”) from a system’s existing state to a new state, where…

•   The people consistently deliver better results more efficiently and effectively by continuously fine-tuning their self-defined way of working, and…

•   The system sustains the new state even when all support mechanism, rewards and penalties are withdrawn.

Barriers to Agile adoption

VersionOne 10th Annual State of Agile Report

Top 10 Transformating antipatterns

1.  Fixed Mindsets 2.  Pigeon-holed Talent 3.  Component Teams 4.  Cargo Cult Agile 5.  Waterfall-era Methods 6.  Inefficient Tools 7.  Factory-style People Practices 8.  Spider Organization 9.  Culture of Compliance 10. Orphaned transformation project

Fixed Mindsets

Pigeon-holed Talent

“I”-shaped “T”-shaped

Component Teams

Cargo Cult Agile (a.k.a. “Doing Agile”)

Waterfall-era Engineering

Inefficient tools

Factory-Style People Practices

•   Narrow job descriptions •   Fixed role and responsibilities •   Individual goal setting •   Predictability-driven KRAs •   Annual performance reviews •   Bell curve / stack ranking •   Lack of team rewards •   Fixed career paths •   Role of first-line manager •   Command-and-control •   Top-down goal-setting •   Promotions driven by “symbols of power” •   …

Spider Organization

Culture of Compliance

•   Predictability and reliability are non-negotiable •   No “sandbox” to test new / bottom-up ideas •   Inspection trumps trust, authority trumps

initiative •   Deviations are shunned and mistakes are

punished •   When “means” becomes “ends”, agile ceases to

be of value •   Agile is the new waterfall!

Orphaned transformation project

•   Failure to embed “agile transformation” results into the mainstream business results diminishes its importance

•   Agile transformating is successful only when –  Customers are happier

–  Business is better

–  Employees are engaged

Recap

•   A robust agile adoption at team-level is necessary, but not sufficient.

•   Starting with individual mindsets, an organization must address its culture.

•   Process is a second-class citizen in an agile culture. People always come first.

•   A successful agile “transformating” has no finish line!