Six Arts of leading a Transformation

In this post, we will not discuss Software Solution Techniques, but the nuances of its application. I invite you to walk this path with me, using our latest success: How do we modernise the iOS Application Build and Distribution System used by many internal users across several teams? 

We leave the deterministic world of software and return to one influenced by human opinions and emotions. Where we work with many teams, using ingrained processes, where old habits die hard, where people get used to mechanically following steps, often inattentive to why they do what they do. It's the capricious world we all live in and still create progress day after day. 

Getting to New Builds and Distribution.

First, have a vivid mental image of what good looks like. In the current instance, imagine that you have a startup company, and you want to build one affordable, maintainable and scalable build and distribution system for all your iOS projects and teams anywhere around the world.

Then have an understanding of the ups and downs of the current solution, its baggage and people's mindsets that keep them set in their ways. 

Then belt up for your journey.

Just do it. Go ahead and build out the solution. However hard this feels, you will soon see it is easy when compared to the additional tasks you have to do alongside it. 

Change mindsets. Evangelise the capabilities of the new design. Just detailing steps of your new solution will not work, however elegantly presented. Alternatively, welcome the various stories of what the old way means to people, but be straight with them when the new one is better. Use analogies freely. Repeat this with each sceptic.

Drop the baggage. Things people believe to be held onto for dear life will need to be given up for more powerful replacements. Facilitate this by shifting paradigms. Introduce new jargon so that in giving it a shot, old anchors are unchained, old habits broken.

Stay True. You will be called upon to do all of this anytime, anyplace. If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything. This is the single most important reason for you to be intimately acquainted with your decisions and their consequences. Convincing people using authenticity, tenacity, leadership, empathy, understanding will then come naturally to you. Otherwise, something in your delivery will sow seeds of doubt and trigger the dreaded defensive flight reaction. 

Make incremental progress. Make small releases of your new solution. This gives you time to collect feedback and pivot. Most of all, it gives time for people to adapt to it and be ready for the next steps.

Iterate over. Till you hit the sweet spot that delivers the maximum power of the new solution without causing widespread panic in the teams. 

Build trust. Conduct supervised learning sessions with teams to familiarise them with the new way. You'll see people with a 'Yes AND' attitude to improve the solution. You'll see sceptics but with 'hmm... Let's Try' attitude. You'll meet people who have acutely felt the issues of the old way and are grateful for the resolutions that the new one provides. Some of them will become your early adopters and best evangelists. Remember them always as they will the reason for the solution's success. Be grateful toward these people who took the time to understand and adopt it.

This journey is now complete. From 12 different types of regular and special app builds across 2 distribution systems, we've consolidated into only 4 builds and a single distribution system. We can now begin moving towards cloud-native!