Your Agile Transformation May Fail Without This Important Factor

Agile transformation is all the rage for many businesses wrangling high-speed markets.

That’s because Agile does away with the traditional linear approach, which aims to perfect the product before delivery. Instead, Agile teams ride the slipstream of rapid change by adopting an iterative development model.

Unfortunately, many transformations may fail simply because they miss an important ingredient: the Agile mindset.

But First, Let’s Explore Why Agile Transformations Fail 

Unfortunately, there are several misconceptions around Agile that prevent organizations from achieving their full potential. Here are the top five.

1) Agile Rituals = Agile Teams 

A common trap companies fall into is thinking of Agile as a checklist. They’ll adopt Agile rituals like sprints and daily standups and fill Agile roles like Scrum Master and product owner. And when that’s done, they’ll dust off their hands and call their Agile transformation complete. 

However, they’re committing to only a fraction of Agile. In turn, they’ll get only a fraction of the value. 

The rules and tools of an Agile framework aren’t what breathe life into Agile. Without a culture change, you won’t have truly self-managed teams – they’ll only be going through the motions.

2) Agile Doesn’t Take Much Work to Implement 

Some leaders are under the impression that they can simply drop Agile practices onto a team to get desired results. 

But Agile isn’t a magic wand. It requires patience and maintenance, and the start is often messy. To implement Agile properly, you have to be committed to the idea of iterative improvement. So don’t expect your Agile transformation to be perfect right off the bat.

3) Agile is for Teams, Not Management 

Things get complicated when employees and management are playing by different rules. Managers who still expect to be in total control of an Agile team will be in for a surprise. 

All Agile approaches depend on a horizontal mindset shift. That involves respect for teams and trust that they are capable of self-management. In fact, Agile encourages the servant leadership model, where managers serve their teams rather than vice versa.

4) Agile is About Productivity and Efficiency 

Strategic misalignment is one of the main reasons for a failed Agile transformation strategy. Many companies choose to implement Agile because they’ve heard it makes teams more productive and efficient. 

In truth, Agile is about the customer, not the process. The goal isn’t to cram in features but to maximize value for the user. Using Agile to create the “fastest process possible” is a one-way ticket to team burnout. 

5) Agile is Safe, so Mistakes Mean It’s Not Working 

If you don’t want to take risks and don’t trust your employees, you aren’t getting the most out of Agile. 

The philosophy of Agile is founded on the courage to innovate and experiment, and that means mistakes will happen. You have to trust that every failure makes an employee a better expert. 

What is the Agile Mindset?

The Agile mindset is one of the most important factors for a successful transformation.

By definition, this mindset is a flexible way of thinking. It allows individuals to react quickly and accommodate changes, empowering them to ensure high quality work regularly. It’s a must for innovation and ensuring value to customers with every deliverable.

Another way of defining the Agile mindset is by understanding what it opposes – the bureaucratic mindset. The latter focuses on making money for the organization while adhering to rules, roles, and criteria.

Combining the bureaucratic mindset with Agile transformation is a recipe for disaster. Especially since effective transformations require three core tenets –

1. People-Centric Philosophy – Every employee deserves the resources and platform to speak up, share ideas, and play to their strengths.
2. Innovation as a Culture – When your company culture encourages risk-taking, experimentation, and learning from mistakes, innovation naturally follows.
3. Continuous Improvement – Workflow must be in a constant state of evolution. Teams should strive for maximum efficiency in their processes by eliminating waste and increasing value.

Advantages of the Agile Mindset

Adopting the Agile mindset goes beyond ensuring the success of your Agile transformation. It also offers several advantages, including –

• True Flexibility – Beyond team and project flexibility, an Agile mindset makes your whole organization ready to adapt and evolve. No practice or policy is so sacred that it can’t be improved.
• Improved Collaboration – An entire company that understands and models Agile values will run like clockwork. Open communication channels keep everyone honest and feedback flowing. That’s what drives progress.
• Empowered Ideation – Your employees are more than hands; they’re bright minds with unique skills and perspectives waiting to be tapped for ideas. The Agile mindset allows you to access your workforce’s full potential.
• Customer Satisfaction – There’s nothing more attractive to a client than getting exactly what they need. An Agile company doesn’t just listen to the customer when drafting the contract. It prioritizes collaboration and welcomes feedback throughout the partnership.

How to Develop the Agile Mindset for a Successful Agile Transformation

Now that you have a better idea of what the Agile mindset is all about, you can see how it can impact your Agile transformation.

If you wish to develop this mindset, the following three are a good starting point.

1) Understand the Agile Manifesto

To truly adopt the Agile mindset, make sure your goal aligns with the basics.

All Agile frameworks aim to follow the twelve principles and four values drawn up in the original Agile Manifesto. The four values are as follows –

1. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
2. Working software over comprehensive documentation
3. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
4. Responding to change over following a plan

These establish that Agile is, at its core, user-centric and solutions-first. Getting the job done to the letter isn’t the goal – customer satisfaction is.

That means delivering working results as quickly as possible so you can collect feedback. Initial plans are only the first draft, not the end goal.

2) Draw Up an Agile Transformation Roadmap

The vague desire to “become more Agile” isn’t a sustainable Agile transformation goal. Before you begin, you need a good grasp on what problems you expect Agile to solve in your company.

For that, you should –

1. Make Sure You Know Why You Want to Go Agile – If, for example, you see issues in communication, efficiency, or customer feedback, Agile may be for you.
2. Choose an Approach Based on Your Business Needs – Give all teams in the company a chance to identify strengths and weak spots. That knowledge is invaluable in figuring out where to focus your efforts.
3. Take It One Step at a Time – While your aim is to achieve a full-scale transformation, starting with one team helps everyone ease into the change. That team can report what’s working and what isn’t, setting the standard for the next team.

3) Embrace the “Fail Fast” Philosophy

For your Agile transformation to be a success, your company needs to shed the risk-averse mentality. Taking more risks generates more mistakes but ultimately leads to faster results.

It’s this “fail fast” mantra that keeps Agile businesses afloat when the market’s tides are choppy. Crank out a product that works, and the customer will tell you what doesn’t. Then you can fix it.

But for this mindset to take root, a system of psychological safety is essential. Employees are only willing to take risks if they won’t be punished for inevitable failures.

Leadership is responsible for letting employees know that failure is a natural part of the Agile method. That’s the point of an iterative model – any mistake can be found and fixed as long as there’s a product.

How DPL Embodies the Agile Mindset

As a perfect Agile transformation case study, DPL overhauled everything from workflow to office layout over a decade ago. With a flat hierarchy and self-organizing teams, everyone at DPL is responsible for shaping the future of the company.

Here’s a video of CEO Syed Ahmad explaining the Agile mindset behind DPL’s thriving ecosystem.

Is Your Agile Transformation on the Right Track?

An organization can’t get far on its Agile journey without a guide.

Luckily, you can learn from some of the best by getting in touch with DPL’s Agile transformation consultants. Let us know what your business goals are and what challenges you’re facing. We can help your company reach its full potential by changing the way you think about the Agile practice.

Fill out the form below so we can get started.