Agile Transformation Roadmap : Common Mistake

We are facing lots of failure stories about agile transformations. In that stories; one of the common mistakes starts with a team-level transformation.

Let's see the steps:

-Start with Pilot Scrum Team: To see the results of agile transformation and try to adapt and executive buy-in, improve one project or product in the company, lots of company is starting their transformation with a pilot scrum team. It's working because the transformation team is focusing on that team. The team is working together, following some rituals (daily, review, etc.), which brings more communication.

-More Scrum Teams: After the team's success, the company is trying to create more scrum teams to inspire and get more success from the agility. The biggest common mistake is this: we are in a good way in our agile transformation because we are creating more teams! Some teams are working with Kanban, some teams are working with Scrumban or other frameworks.

Improve Scrum Team Maturity: While creating new teams, the company is still working to improve the current teams' agility level with some training and coaching sessions. Perfection programs, coaching hours, funny activities.

Spotify Model: After spending most of the time with Scrum teams, the company is trying to focus on some business areas to improve whole business agility with a Spotify Model. They are changing organizational structure, roles, and ways of workings. It's working because there are more funny activities with Tribe Level! Quarterly meetings, weekly funny meetings, etc.

THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG! While trying to adapt that framework, they are saying we need to scale to our agile transformation...

SAFe Transformation: We need to scale! Let's learn the SAFe framework. PI Planning, Lean Portfolio Management, OKR, etc. The company is trying to adapt all these methods.

Own way of Working: After spending their time with SAFe transformation, they are adapting some of the methods in SAFe. They are experts in Scrum and Kanban, and now they can try to find their way of working including SAFe, Scrum, Kanban, etc.

Lots of company is spending their years and months in this story. This brings CoD (Cost of Delay) for them. Because if they start their transformation in the right way, they can't spend their time trying to adapt some frameworks.

What is your agile transformation story?

Which step are you still in your agile transformation?

Do you waste your time while trying to transform?

Let's discuss that in this post.