Flat-lined Agile

So you have implemented that shiny new Atlassian JIRA+Agile software on a shiny new cloud infrastructure, the system and processes are stable, the levels of enthusiasm from six months ago have ebbed, and it is back to business as usual.

Or is it?

Why have none of the HR policies changed?
Why are there no changed job descriptions?
Where are the promised new organizational roles?
Why is the organizational bureaucracy still in place?
Why are the micronarratives still the same?
Why is it doubly harder to get things done now?
Why have the number of meetings remained the same?
Why is there no significant jump in revenues?

Many organizations implement Agile like they would an ERP. That is, a core group trains on the selected software and run a pilot, the executive approves the spend and the system gets rolled out. At the end of the period of implementation everyone is "using" the software and all is well with the world.

Sounds familiar?

If the answers to any of the questions above leaves you blinking, your Agile initiative has flat-lined. Now is the time to get someone "on the outside" who can do an audit and make recommendations. It shouldn't take more than an hour for this outsider to let you know what went wrong.

The Agile Journey

Agile initiatives are long and exciting "journeys", that pass through multiple fascinating way points and changing landscapes, much like a trekking expedition through the high mountains.

You start at a low altitude.

You pass through the mid-altitudes

And you finally arrive at your destination peak

Does it end there?

Of course not. That's just the mid point.

You need to get back to civilization, tired, sun burnt, a few pounds lighter and yet with a new found confidence and camaraderie.

You are not done till it is done!

 The graphic above is indicative of that half way point - your objective. We start the journey at way point #1, passing through way points 2, 3, 4 etc until we reach our objective at #6. At #6, we are at "constraints maximum" on our Agile journey. All gaps, issues and changes needed would have been highlighted by the time the organization reaches this stage.

Then we have to get back!

It is a lot quicker in terms of the level of effort, but longer in time horizon. This is where most of the organizational learning happens. 

Unfortunately, most organizations are quite happy to sit at 6 and assume the implementation program is complete.

No!

That is just the half way mark.

You still need to find your way back.

Not the whole team, just the living core of the organization.

And the difference is that while your way point #1 was like being aboard a ship adrift, way point #9 is as precise as a street address. It is the new centre of gravity of the organization, designed to ensure the organization remains strategically poised to roll in any direction.

Confused? That's probably because of common perception that Agile resides in the system you finally implement.

Agile does not reside in the system you implement, it resides in nuances within the culture of the organization. Herein lies the crux of the challenge.