Agile On The Skids

On The Skids: failing or getting worse: in a bad state or situation that is likely to result in failure (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

I read The State of Agile Report focusing on where responders share their challenges with Agile.? (I’ve read each edition and many of them more than once.) I follow other Agile, DevOps, and related reports (and will share my experiences with them here in the future.)

The sections of this report I’m most interested in used to be called Barriers and Challenges. These data are indicative of:

• People experiencing blockers outside their sphere of influence
• People encountering unexpected (or hostile) conditions

Whether these are truly immovable, unexpected, and hostile (and why) is what I’m focused on in addition to developing effective remediation strategies.

I summarized the most recent 5 reporting years of Barriers and Challenges to identify the Top 5, above. (Note: Leadership Participation has only been “surveyed” for the past 4 reporting years.) I made some assumptions based on experience and common use of industry terminology to associate report data with these themes:

1. Resistance To Change
2. Transformation
3. Leadership Participation
4. Organizational Culture
5. Management Support

Why Are These the Top 5?

My theory:

1. These are (all) interrelated posing exponentially threatening and divisive challenges to management and leadership. Hence, ignored or tolerated.
2. These five Barriers and Challenges have vexed people at all levels of an organization for decades (independent of Agile.)
3. It’s difficult to demonstrate and explain the improvement in these areas in quantifiable terms.

Top, Some Middle, But Little to No Down

I’ve repeatedly found management and leadership making key decisions (and assumptions) impacting these five areas without engaging their teams or others impacted. Some examples:

1. Committing to an Agile Scaling Framework
2. Switching Agile Scaling Frameworks
3. Requiring Agile Teams to Use a Mis-matched Agile Team Framework
4. Licensing an Agile Life Cycle Management Solution
5. Committing to a Long-term and Key Consulting Relationship
6. Committing to a Key Training Provider Including Content

Food For Thought

When Resistance to Change is the leading Barrier or Challenge to effective Agility year over year, management and (especially) leadership should:

• Proceed cautiously, carefully, and strategically sensing and engaging (and not surveying) those impacted before committing to significant changes.
• Engage their teams and others impacted versus their peers and seniors to identify potential and known impediments to success.
• Use external consultants to educate and motivate themselves but not to perform employee engagement and sensing (or what passes for it.)

Future Planning

I’m barely scratching the surface so far (and there’s more than one surface and much more scratching, digging, and advocating ahead.) Share your impressions, thoughts, and recommendations. I plan to expand on the Top 5 individually and then their inter-relationships.

Cheers,

Greg