How can you manage teams with agility?

The only way is through motivating the team. Of course, motivation to each individual will be of different way. In fact, motivating same individual will be different at different times, which will be based on their demand, their situation, etc. Being a leader, you should give a feeling to the team that your shoulders are always available to rely upon and the leader should also be in a position to take the responsibility of the team and give the credit to the team and team members.

It’s important from the start to make sure the entire team understands the guiding principles, this can be achieved through training ideally before implementing any new framework. Understanding the principles and values helps you align your vision, goals, and expectations with the Agile framework the team is using. This ensures that your leadership approach is consistent with Agile practices and philosophy. The Agile principles emphasise collaboration, transparency, and open communication, whilst encouraging self-organising teams and empowering team members to make decisions. By grasping the Agile principles, you can provide guidance that supports the team's autonomy while still achieving the desired outcomes.

I believe managing a team with agility is all about keeping things flexible and fostering a culture of open communication. I encourage my team members to share their ideas and be adaptable to change, and make sure everyone understand the goals and empower them to make decisions in their own areas of expertise. I also keep a close eye on progress and be ready to pivot if necessary. Our motto is, "Don't quit, pivot".

Nowadays everyone is talking about agile methodology in software world and claim they are using agile framework and believe me most of people doesn’t know about the actual meaning of agility. It’s an mindset be to adoptive and agile rather then using agile framework tools. Tools may help you to manage customer changing requirements or other management factors but a mindset opens a door to new dimension where we can find solutions of every changing factors like environmental, communication, client relationships, team management, collaboration, availability etc.

"A strong leader and a cohesive, empowered team are essential for maintaining and efficiently following rules and processes. Undoubtedly, the Agile methodology is one of the best approaches to achieve optimal outcomes. However, in my perspective, understanding and alignment with our goals are equally crucial. Regardless of the methodology in use, its benefits are limited if our behavior, approach, and dedication are not aligned. Achieving the best possible results requires more than just choosing a methodology; it hinges on our individual understanding of our roles and responsibilities."

At MeDirect, Mark, the Agile Coach, knows one size doesn’t fit all. He arranges a “Framework Fiesta” workshop with his team. Lisa, versed in Scrum, argues for its structured approach. Meanwhile, Raj, a Kanban enthusiast, highlights its adaptability. After a thoughtful debate, they opt for a hybrid Scrum-Kanban model, aligning with their project’s varying demands. Mark arranges for training sessions and ensures the team has the necessary tools to make the transition. Within weeks, they notice a remarkable improvement in workflow efficiency and stakeholder satisfaction.

One thing which has helped me choose the frameworks for teams is to observe them and understand their structure of work instead of directly proposing them the frameworks.....for eg. we can't directly propose all operations teams to follow Kanban because there can be some teams who have a planned work and can use Scrum.

The great software answer “It Depends” seems to be great fit here. But in my exp we can have guiding principles.. Innovation projects should try to follow Kanban as spill over can happen because of unexpected outcomes. Regular BAU work for transaction systems should follow scrum of one week or two week cycles as scope creep could be regular issue because of challenges in Production. The idea of being agile is to adjust quickly but planning should not itself become an overhead.

Choosing the right Agile framework for your team is an important decision that can significantly impact your project's success whilst remaining flexible. Consider the nature of your project and team needs e.g. is it software development or hardware? Furthermore, if your team is distributed across different locations or time zones, consider frameworks that can accommodate remote collaboration, such as Scrum with distributed teams or Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe). Assess your organisation's willingness and ability to adapt to change. Some frameworks, such as Kanban, are highly adaptable, while others have more rigid structures. Ultimately, the chosen framework needs the team's and leadership's sponsorship so that disruption is minimal.

Agile management requires a cultural transformation. One of the key aspects required is that everyone understands that there is a "one and only" shared goal. It is not anymore about what my area/department/unit CAN contribute to a global project but what my area/department/unit HAS to provide so the Agile Team can succeed. Then, empowerment of team members beyond the team boundaries seems to be a must.

Within the Agile realm of MeDirect, Jane, the Team Manager, considers trust and collaboration as the twin pillars of her leadership. She launches a "Safe Space" initiative where team members can openly discuss challenges without judgment. Ahmed, a junior developer, shares a recent mistake he made. Rather than reprimanding him, Jane turns it into a learning moment for the team. To further foster collaboration, she introduces a weekly "Peer Teach-In," where team members share insights or skills. Tina from QA teaches everyone a quick way to automate a repetitive task, boosting productivity and team cohesion.

When a team is encouraged to learn by bringing in content, methods and innovation, it automatically produces a team that is constantly improving Personal development is necessary for a secure team with high trust Openness and personal and team responsibility contribute a lot to this

Today managers are required to be flexible managers in order to deal with the changing reality In recent years the changes have become urgent, the pace of changes is fast and adaptation is required immediately Beyond that, technologies are developing at a fast pace so that there is no manager who can handle all of this at such a speed, and here mental flexibility is required That I don't know everything and that's okay, that I need learning people by my side who can bring relevant value. Humility is required for a flexible leader and a mindset that enables information sharing, receiving information from others and strengthening them in the process