(1) It starts with people
An agile transformation involves a lot of new things. We are showered with ideas, concepts and new terminology. In order to make sure it’s not too overwhelming at the start, it is best to prepare everyone for what is to come. Training is a good first step – but training alone is not enough. It is essential to learn and reinforce a new mindset. As part of this process, it can be helpful to enlist the help of experienced experts. Learning new patterns in your familiar environment is often more difficult than learning them in a changed environment. Our tip:
- Strongly emphasise good communication structures.
- Involve individuals in the transformation process.
- Collate experiences by organising brief polls at frequent intervals.
- Analyse interim results and get feedback from stakeholders and employees.
This will help you learn how to handle criticism and view this experience as an opportunity.
(2) A vision for all
Many stakeholders have a lot of ideas about what a transformation is and how it is implemented. Some will dismiss the transformation as unnecessary, while others will invest all of their energy into it and really want to get things off the ground. As is often the case, a happy medium is best here. Our tip:
- Gather together all of the stakeholders and work together to develop a vision. We recommend drawing up a vision statement (this can be developed from a template sentence that includes all of the important questions about the upcoming change of direction).
- You should strongly promote the value of investigating the “Why” together (it is easier to support something if you know the reason behind it).
(3) What is the objective?
Objectives can then be derived from the vision. The objectives must support the vision and even implement it. Our tip:
- Initially, limit yourself to the largest areas of work.
- Formulate measurable objectives and verify their achievement (this is not about monitoring, but rather making progress visible).
- Bear in mind the hierarchy of your objectives as you formulate them. If an overarching objective is identified, the secondary objectives deriving from it must contribute to the achievement of the superordinate objective.
(4) Create structures – a technical “big picture”
Often, we cannot see the wood for the trees. It is important to create structures. In many cases, this can be done successfully using agile concepts. Agility can often be perceived as chaotic. But the fact is, agility seeks to tackle chaotic (complex) situations. In order to be able to proceed in a structured manner, we need a “big picture” from a technical perspective. Ask yourself the following questions:
- What technical topics will be impacted by the transformation (the What)?
- Use various questions to scrutinise and examine your business along with the associated technical processes: Why is the business structured this way? What problem does the business solve? Is it possible to rethink the system? These questions pertain to the Why.
- How complex are the various subject areas and where do they intersect? How are the different processes connected? The focus here is on dependencies and clear areas of responsibility.
- And finally, we come to the Who – the stakeholders: Who are the knowledge bearers for a specific subject area? Where are decisions made?
For me, it helps to take a process-based perspective and map out the individual topics and departments within this process. If you notice recurring patterns, it is advisable to fully implement one form of such a pattern and then integrate the other forms into the completed construct.