Organizational Uncertainty and Agile

 

If I said I was unsure of what to write it would be purely for effect, and would reflect the wrong kind of uncertainty for the purposes of my post. 

A lot has been written about uncertainty, its multiple causes and effects.  It's no secret that people have different levels of tolerance for different types of uncertainty.  Being made up of multiple people, organizations, too, can have a wide range of responses to uncertainty, anxiety being a common response that can have a negative impact on the outcome of a change.  If you've ever been involved in a major organizational change, you are likely painfully aware of the impact that individual and organizational anxiety can have on the success of the change.

Rather than discussing how uncertainty and anxiety affect projects, in general, consider the impact that uncertainty and anxiety can have on rolling out an Agile methodology or framework in an organization.  Maybe you've worked for an organization that had a painful time rolling out Agile, or failed to roll it out.  Was it because Agile doesn't work?  There is plenty of proof to the contrary.  Uncertainty and anxiety aren't the only reasons that some organizations do not successfully transition to Agile; every organization deals with these factors when undergoing organizational change, and they don't all fail.

As mentioned in a previous post, Waterfall gives the illusion of certainty, early in a project.  Maybe this is why many companies use a phased approach to rolling out Agile.  Did you catch that?  Waterfall is used for rolling out Agile in organizations.  Agile is, by its nature, a source of uncertainty.  Especially the very first time an organization uses it.  Transitioning to Agile is a significant organizational change.  As such it can be a significant source of uncertainty and anxiety.  It's this uncertainty and anxiety that can result in the transition to Agile being painful or failing, although it is not a guarantee.  What can you do?  A couple of other people here on ProjectManagement.com have shared some thoughts on the matter:

Ken Whitaker

http://www.projectmanagement.com/articles/268340/I-Can-t-Seem-to-Get-My-Team-to-Become-Agile

Johanna Rothman

http://www.projectmanagement.com/articles/283783/Leading-Your-Organizations-Transition-to-Agile

If your company is transitioning to Agile, remember that you're not the first, and plenty of companies have succeeded.  If your company is committed to the change, even the painful parts, and assuming it is the right thing to do for your organization, you can succeed.

I have a request - not a challenge - I'd like to learn more about any companies that use an Agile approach to roll out Agile in other organizations, instead of a phased approach.  If you have any information on this, please post a reply.

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