Although agile management has been «in fashion» for a few years now, the 2020 health crisis has brutally reminded us of the need to accelerate the transformation of our organizations. In fact, companies that had already integrated the principles of agility managed to bounce back more quickly in this uncertain context, adapting their work methods and sometimes even evolving their business models. business model.
So, how Becoming an agile company ? We often hear about Agile methods (Scrum, Kanban, Design Thinking, agile management...) but agility doesn’t just consist of covering the walls in post-its in your office. open-space ! At the company level, the agile approach mainly consists of rethinking the Corporate culture, The working methods and all the interactions within the organization.
We propose to take a look at the definition of agility in business and to peel back the layers of the concept of agility together to discover what is actually behind it. buzzword.
Agility: values and principles more than a method
When we talk about agility, we often think of the Scrum method. However, Scrum is only one of the methods that are inspired by the principles of agility… Because l’Agility is first and foremost a framework of values and principles, from which practices are derived that must be adopted in the conduct of projects, human relations, and management. Agile working methods… in short, everything that makes up the daily routine of a company.
The definition of agility
Agility is one response to the acceleration of the transformation of our environment. In a constantly moving environment, where landmarks sometimes become blurred, processes and approaches can no longer be frozen in place in companies, institutions, and even at the personal level (each person can adopt an agile posture). Agility is therefore the ability to adapting processes and operating modes so that they can keep up with the acceleration of our world.
The 4 values of agility
The concept of agility was formalized in 2001 by 17 experts who combined their approaches to «light» projects into a Agile Manifesto. They describe a framework of 4 values to prioritize for an agile approach in the development of solutions:
- Individuals and their interactions more than processes and tools
- Operational solutions more than just comprehensive documentation
- Collaboration with customers more than contractual negotiation
- The answer to change more than the respect of a plan
The principles of agility
From the 4 values above – which can be translated into concrete practices in your company – 12 principles emerge in the Agile Manifesto, which can be summarized as follows: Major objectives :
- focus on user satisfaction by providing the right uses at the right time,
- accepting change as an opportunity to encourage creativity and innovation,
- fostering collective intelligence through the collaboration and the autonomous organization of the teams.
User satisfaction, creativity and collaboration: these key principles, which teams and organizations must live by on a daily basis, form the foundation of new agile practices. Naturally, these practices must be aligned and adapted to the company’s environment and the desired benefits.
How to develop agile culture in your company?
Success in transforming your organization requires first of all develop your company’s culture around the values of agility. Indeed, it is essential that all employees are committed to the infused with agile principles First and foremost, the deployment of agile methods. To instill an agile mindset in all teams, it is necessary to progress in stages according to the Agile Triangle:
Developing agile culture in the company therefore means getting everyone to embrace the values and principles of agility (adapted to your context). to enable teams to acquire the agile posture necessary to apply agile methods on a daily basis. This progression of the agile culture is indispensable to the success of agile projects. business agility, In other words, a comprehensive approach to transforming your business.
How to deploy agile methods in the company?
Once the agile culture has been developed within your company and adapted to your context, agile practices can be effectively implemented within the organization. These agile practices are fundamentally based on simplifying problems. by breaking down tasks. The Scrum method is the best known, especially in software development, but there are many others that may better suit your context: Kanban, Design Thinking, UX design, etc.
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Beyond the choice of a particular agile methodology, It is possible to inject agility into most business projects by following these 3 steps :
- Create small teams with multidisciplinary and complementary profiles in project management.
- Cut the functional perimeter into user-oriented usage Rather than addressing the full functionality of the product or service, it is better to focus on a minimum but exploitable usage from start to finish to quickly bring value (this is the concept of the MVP or Minimum Viable Product). minimum viable product).
- Divide time into short iterations of fixed durations to focus on the minimum requirements with a result usable at the end of each iteration.
To put the agile deployment into practice in your company, feel free to Implementing an emblematic project according to agile principles, by, if necessary, engaging an agile coach to ensure the application of the principles or by raising awareness among your employees with training in agility and innovation.
Practical training in agile working methods
Agile management at the service of the transformation of the company
For agility to be sustainable within the organization, agile practices should naturally not remain confined to IT projects or to a few teams: Top management must disseminate the agile approach across all layers and services and in all aspects of the company’s life.. But the willingness of the leaders to «break down silos» and the reorganizations driven by HR, while indispensable, are not enough: only the development of much more collaborative practices can enable the acceleration of transformation… and Managers are on the front line !
To effectively disseminate agility throughout the organization, it is first necessary for the management community itself to understand it. The meaning of the transformation of the company and relies on common management values inspired by the agile approach, Among other things, to build a relationship of trust and mutual support.
Then, transitioning from traditional management to agile management with your team is not something that happens overnight: managers must be able to convey the agile principles and, above all, to implement them in their daily work. to evolve their management style to engage and empower their teams and facilitate collective intelligence. Click here to discover our article on the keys essential for agile managers to move towards agile management !
In conclusion, let us remember that becoming agile or being agile is not an end in itself. Agility must be sustainable within the company: it is a continuous and ever-changing path that allows the organization to evolve and adapt constantly to the changes in our environment. It is therefore, first and foremost, a mindset and attitude that must be adopted at every moment, from top management to the employees through the management community! In short, agility is not a miracle solution to all ills, but a set of principles and techniques that everyone must adhere to for a real transformation of the company.
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