There is no roadmap

Regardless of size, there is one single, universal truth that you have to accept if you are, were, or intend to be a part of an Agile transformation endeavor.

For an Agile transition, or indeed, for any kind of transformation, there is no blueprint. Not twelve, nine, or seven phases. No. Every book, essay, blog post, and article—including mine—is incorrect.

What are transformation roadmaps?

To begin with, roadmaps aren't what we typically think of as roadmaps. When we start this transformation, we frequently get requests for a road map. Furthermore, stakeholders frequently view the aforementioned roadmap as a Gantt chart, complete with discrete tasks listed in a sequential order, as well as specific due dates and milestones.

This is untrue, though. Consider a roadmap as a GPS that updates based on many factors such as traffic, accidents, and road conditions. Just like with Waze , the route ahead adjusts appropriately. This resembles a roadmap more realistically.

This is not a straight line, as you may expect. We frequently have to take an alternative path, sometimes even turning around to take a different route. Thus, it makes little to no sense to adhere to a set of predetermined actions.

Can we even aspire to become Agile?

Of course, we are free to target for anything we desire. It gives us motivation and a feeling of purpose. But we must be truthful with both ourselves and others.

Usually, our approach to transforming our business into an Agile one is to start small and then "grow" the effort throughout the entire organization. It doesn't mean that the company automatically becomes Agile, even in the unlikely event that the model is successful—this will rely on the organization, the business model, etc.

Like any living thing, an organization is a part of its surroundings, and how those surroundings affect it greatly determines how healthy it is. Ours affects other organizations in a similar way. To be really Agile, an?"Agile" corporation needs to incorporate governance, procurement, HR, finance, and all other organizational components. This covers our interactions with partners, suppliers, consumers, and human resources, among others. It is possible to have agile contracts. Like our physical body, we are a cosmos made up of various "businesses" or "organs," each serving a distinct purpose. One's ways of working, good or bad,?might influence others, and vice versa.

Having said that, it goes without saying that the first step in any transition is to consider WHY we want to change and whether we actually need to. And immediately following those are other more crucial question that require an answer. WHAT are we willing to do in order to change? Only after you can focus on HOW.

Not every roadmap leads to Agility

Even if you already know that your roadmap won't be linear, it may never result in true agility depending on your business model, organizational structure, surroundings, and willingness to adapt.

It is exponentially more difficult to tackle some business structures, like finance. It can also be incredibly frustrating for everyone to try to manage the shift toward agility while accommodating everything but if your clients are highly regulated or governmental entities. The majority of the time, there is not even the slightest indication of agility in the relationship with these players, and that will cause a great deal of suffering and excessive resource turnover.

In actuality, most businesses—especially medium-sized and larger ones—are becoming less and less capable of achieving complete agility. Once you acknowledge and come to terms with that, you can concentrate on what I like to refer to as a broad Agile adoption, which is identifying the areas inside your business that can be modified and improved by an Agile approach, regardless of tools, frameworks or practices. Remember to apply a systems thinking approach as well. Avoid making all the changes in one area and neglecting the others. Organizations are living things, to reiterate.

Finally, give up on "paint by the numbers" methods. Every business has a different demand, and they are all aware that there won't be a quick, easy, or straightforward answer. It requires blood, sweat, tears, money, time, and effort. But greatness is yours if you do it well, that is, what's best for you.