Agile 101: Change Companion

  Agile   Change Management   ProjectsAtWork  

Many organizational change initiatives are undone by lack of buy-in, fuzzy goals or basic human fatigue and resistance. A better of understanding of some basic agile concepts such as minimum viable product, short release cycles and feedback loops can be helpful in overcoming these pitfalls when leading transformative projects.

In far too many transformation initiatives, organizations start with lofty ambitions only to see them fizzle out or end abruptly due to funding issues, lack of buy-in, or a change in focus. Time and again, the participants come out of a transformation process full of fatigue and unable to leverage the changes for positive impact. Worse still, they are so scarred by the process that any future change efforts are viewed with cynicism and resistance.

Recently I was involved in a project using agile methodologies, which proved to be a practical companion to change management. I have often advocated for the importance of step-change to increase adoption and to ingrain change. It is easy to understand that step-change is important, quite another to build out the details behind it. This is where some key agile terminologies lend insight into the practicalities of step change.

   > Commander’s Intent – The objective of the organization is expressed as its vision. This vision does not include details in “how” &…

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