Key Lessons Learnt from years of Implementing Agile Frameworks

In my 15+ years of Tech experience, using Project Management and a variety of Agile Frameworks, I've learned some valuable lessons and insights. In this article, I share my top 3 lessons learnt from implementing agile frameworks:

1. Embrace Change: Change is inherent in the way we operate today - tools, customers and industry is rapidly evolving. Using traditional project management approaches, that define our scope of work upfront, are simply no longer sufficient to deal with this uncertainty. Agile frameworks, like Scrum, Kanban and SAFe, allow us to view change as an opportunity to adapt from new learnings from our customers, business and market.
2. Quality over Quantity: It’s not about the number of hours spent; it’s more about the value that was delivered. Teams learn to empirically measure progress, identify areas for improvement, and adjust their plans based on feedback from customers and stakeholders. The focus shifts towards delivering value as fast and efficiently as possible.
3. Transparency and Alignment: Agile practices emphasize transparency, open communication, and alignment of work and progress. Leadership plays a crucial role in providing guidance on goals and priorities, fostering a culture of openness to enable self-organizing teams to make decisions. Teams are open and transparent about progress, challenges and achievements to all stakeholders, which promotes visibility and trust.

Agile is not a one-size-fits-all. It’s important to understand the core values and principles, and then tailor them to fit the specific needs of the team, and organization. Using agile frameworks has taught organizations and teams to be adaptable, customer-focused, collaborative, and continuously learn. It has highlighted the importance of trust, focusing on quality and maintaining transparency to deliver value in a rapidly evolving business environment.