From A Legacy To AI-Driven Agile
An Agile Ngopi Newsletter. The 3rd edition.
This month, we reflect on the legacy of a true Agile pioneers and explore how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping the Agile world.
Grab your favorite coffee, and let’s dive into this month’s topics:
The Paper That Started It All.
The New New Product Development Game.
Today, we honor the life and legacy of Professor Ikujiro Nonaka (1935–2025), a visionary whose work laid the foundation for Scrum and Agile practices.
Known as the "Grandfather of Scrum," Nonaka-san’s groundbreaking ideas continue to inspire teams worldwide.
Hirotaka Takeuchi and Ikujiro Nonaka's Legacy
In 1986, Nonaka, along with Hirotaka Takeuchi, published the seminal paper The New New Product Development Game in the Harvard Business Review.
This paper introduced a revolutionary approach to product development, emphasizing speed, flexibility, and team collaboration.
Instead of participating in "relay race", the product development teams should to look into "rugby approach".
The approach that was suggested put heavy emphasize on making sure the elements that they mentioned need to operate well together.
Not one piece. Or pieces on their own.
But together. Like a jig-saw puzzle.
6 pieces of the jig-saws are...
Key actions Agile Leaders can reflect on
For leaders of an organization who is driving Agile, the key takeaway for you is to ensure to create a team with "High-sense of Ownership".
How?
The teams that operated in the holistic approach as suggested by the paper showed high-sense of ownership and able to deliver rapid values in product development.
If you’d like to dive deeper into this groundbreaking paper, you can read it here: The New New Product Development Game.
A Legacy That Lives On
Dr. Jeff Sutherland, co-creator of Scrum, shared how Takeuchi and Nonaka’s work directly inspired the framework.
In 1993, the first Scrum team read The New New Product Development Game and decided to name their approach "Scrum."
They also introduced the role of the Scrum Master, inspired by the paper’s emphasis on team dynamics and leadership.
Imagine a group of people with a deep culture and mindset of learnings and continuous improvements decided to improve together. Indestructible.
As we reflect on his passing, let us honor his memory by embodying the principles he championed:
Professor Nonaka’s contributions extend far beyond Scrum.
His work on knowledge creation, particularly the SECI model (Socialization, Externalization, Combination, Internalization), has influenced countless organizations and leaders worldwide.
The legacy that will lives on.
Have you tasted Cham?
Classic traditional dark coffee combined with Chinese tea (typically black tea).
“Cham” directly means “mix” in the Hokkien languange.
A commonly known "coffee" in the kopitiam in Asia countries.
Maybe that's your coffee for our next edition reading.
AI-Driven Agile: What It Means To You
We are not sure if you have heard it...
Twice the work in half the time is no longer fast. We need to be faster.
and AI is now here to help you do so.
We’re excited to announce an exclusive opportunity to learn from one of the greatest minds, Dr. Jeff Sutherland , this Thursday.
Dr. Sutherland will share groundbreaking insights on how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping the way we work in Agile environments.
The Webinar Details
If you have missed the event, don't worry we are going to have a recap session on the 25th Feb 2025!
What to Expect in the Recap Session:
?? Key Highlights from the Webinar: Learn the most exciting moments and insights from Dr. Sutherland’s session.
?? Playback: Hear the snippets gems shared by Dr. Jeff on the webinar.
?? Interactive Discussion: Share your thoughts, ask questions, and connect with participating Agile enthusiasts.
The Webinar Recap Session Details
This is your chance to not get left out any longer. Sign up now.
Fill up the registration form here: https://tinyurl.com/mr2ym8rc
Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from one of the greatest minds in Agile!
Reflections
In this month’s edition of Agile Ngopi, we would like to remind ourselves
the importance of honoring the past while embracing the future.
Professor Ikujiro Nonaka’s legacy teaches us the value of collaboration, adaptability, and continuous learning.
Key values to growth and innovation.
The rise of AI presents new opportunities to enhance these principles and take Agile to the next level.
Don’t miss the chance to learn from Dr. Jeff Sutherland in our upcoming webinar and gain actionable insights to transform your Agile practice. Sign up now!
Let’s continue to brew Agile excellence together—one sip at a time.
Till our next ngopi session!
Bring your Cham next time!
?
Have your team started using AI in your day to day tasks?
Have you actually read The New New Product Development Game?