May Newsletter from SoftEd

Leadership Insight from David Mantica:

Where do we go from here?

The layoffs started around October/November 2022 (with companies like Google and Amazon), and from there, enterprise organizations began their layoffs in 2023. The trend continues in 2024, with organizations peeling away the agile structure around their development services. The Agile movement, which started in 2001 with a manifesto and began scaling in 2004/2005, became the de facto way of running software projects—initially with Scrum and then with SAFe. But is the Agile movement done?

At the BBC conference (Building Business Capability) last week (where SoftEd had a booth), conversations suggested this might be the case. The trends at BBC were primarily AI-related, with AI appearing everywhere alongside foundational business analysis skills. We received no questions about product ownership or Agile team operations. There was one session on the BA and SAFe, which was surprising but consistent with other market trends.

There's no way working in an Agile way is over. The frameworks, ceremonies, and artifacts may change, as may job titles and roles, but Agile will continue to play a critical part in project management. Going forward, Agile won't be the be-all and end-all, and will gradually stop being the de facto method.

So, the big question: "Where do we go from here?" The song with those lyrics comes to mind ("now that all of the children have grown up? And how do we spend our time knowing nobody gives us a damn"), and it’s relevant. The layoffs and changes occurred because the value of the work wasn’t understood (aka nobody gives us a damn). In the end, one of the keys to value at the executive level is productivity. Did those roles, positions, artifacts, and ceremonies around Agile increase overall productivity? The answer. from the corporate decisions we are seeing is, no.

So again, "Where do we go from here?" AI will impact project work, but how is yet to be seen. The criticality of business analysis and a product mentality will have an impact. The need for knowledge workers to bring "Power Skills" to their work will become mandatory. Value comes from getting things done through people and automation, testing to ensure what you produce creates the value customers need (internal or external), allowing them to do more with less time or effort.

There is now an opportunity to try something new. What it will look like is yet to be seen, but companies that have finished their layoffs and restructuring are exploring it. Remember, within all change is opportunity. Are you positioning yourself to gain from the opportunity being created?

Upcoming Free Webinars (Earn 1 PDU/CDU):

Becoming a Skills-Based Organization: The value of Capability Frameworks and Skills Assessments to build a Future-Fit Workforce Zoom Webinar May 1st 4:00PM EDT with Michelle Ruddenklau and Josh Williams

Fundamentals of AI for Business Analysis Zoom Webinar May 7th 12:00PM EDT with Marc Balcer

Navigating the 'Fuzzy Front End': Enhancing Agile Project Life Cycles Zoom Webinar May 22nd 1:00PM EDT with Chris Knotts

Free On-Demand Trainings Recently Recorded:

Mastering Value Streams in Portfolio Management with Chris Knotts

Building a Future-Fit Workforce: A Skills Roadmap for Business Leaders with Andy Cooper and Michelle Ruddenklau

Essentials of AI for Software Testers with Marc Balcer

May Courses:

Agile Project Management May 1-3

Implementing DevOps May 6-8

Business Agility Fundamentals May 7-9

AI for Business Analysis May 8-10

Certified Scrum Product Owner May 9-10

Product Management May 15-17

Certified ScrumMaster May 16-17

Certified Scrum Product Owner May 20-21

Agile Test Automation May 20-22

Lean Portfolio Management May 21-23

AI for Software Testing May 29-31

Leading Self: Leading with Agility May 29-31

Certified ScrumMaster May 30-31