If Lean techniques reshaped the business world in the 1980′s, Agile has been reshaping the software implementation world of the 2000′s. While some companies rapidly embrace Agile, there remains a large portion of the business world adverse to the changes.
We talked with Jim Adams, Applications Manager at QVC to talk about Agile and their implementation at QVC. In interest of full disclosure, Jim loves Agile.
Some projects just lend themselves to traditional methods. If your team is separated by huge distances, documentation is stressed, and the target is guaranteed to stay in one place, then it may make the most sense to use a Waterfall methodology.
On the other hand, Jim talked about running a program with “off-shore, and near-shore assets” that was run entirely on Agile. It was a major success causing some of the upper management to ask “Why don’t we do more projects like this?”
Jim claims that his teams at QVC practice “Agile-But” meaning that the core components of Agile are followed, but there are still elements of more traditional approaches. Jim claims that he would go “full agile if given the opportunity.”
A number of other managers have come to Jim asking for help during projects which are falling behind or over budget. They’re looking to switch to Agile methodologies to reduce their time spent on projects, but still Jim says that’s not the only advantage.
When you’re completely honest and transparent with a customer, Jim says they don’t mind you being a week or two behind schedule, or a little bit over budget. The customers appreciate managing expectations up front and being pulled into the loop.
In the end it is important to challenge your teams for continuous improvement and to focus on increased productivity, higher quality products, and customer satisfaction. Be as agile as your customer allows. Don’t accept “that’s the way we have always done it” and challenge the current project environment. The more agile you can be…the better.
Jim Adams is the Applications Manager at QVC. Check out more from Jim Adams on his blog at: http://agilecolony.tumblr.com
Lessons Learned in Agile Adoption
We all know most of these inherently, through our past experiences. Yes, we’ve learned them before. Unfortunately, when you’re neck deep kicking off a new Agile initiative, trying to communicate a lot of new information and deal with a plethora of questions and resistance, it’s all too easy to forget a few of these well-known, well-worn truths…
1. Understand the predominate organizational culture and plan accordingly.
Coming into a new project, take in the lay of the land. How is change managed in this environment Which aspects of Agile/Lean will be most likely to succeed and which will be most likely to fail? Its important to get some early wins under your belt to help the company on its way, so use the situation to your advantage.
2. Set expectations up-front regarding the client’s level of commitment to Agile/Lean.
Agile implementation is a company-wide initiative that requires buy-in at all levels. To help guage the client’s level of commitment ask is this an organizational or project-level initiative? Are they open to learning and applying all the basics or are they predisposed to cutting corners? Just because a client may not be all-in right away, doesn’t mean that a well executed agile project won’t help change their mind.
3. Make sure there is an executive or senior manager level champion.
Its hard to get everyone on board with change, so you’ll need a champion. This person should have influence over the team(s). The more influence your champion has, the more quickly you can begin to spread agile methodology.
4. Make sure management/leadership team are trained along with (if not ahead of) the rest of the team.
This can set the tone for everyone that “we’re all learning together.” After initial training, quickly assess level of comprehension and retention of concepts. Pay close attention to concepts/rules that are not readily accepted by the audience and re-enforce those early and often.
5. Pay attention to positive and negative Queues.
More often than not, employees will reveal their willingness to adopt. Do they have a “can do” attitude or is there a lot of “can’t do that here…” or “that won’t work for us…”
6. When encountering resistance to basic concepts and practices, consider these options:
Be prepared to explain the value behind each concept or practice – Why we do this, not just what or how. Try questioning the source of the resistance and ask them to propose positive alternatives. Always look to add value or eliminate waste; if you can’t say that something can do either, then you can probably omit it.
7. Promote self-directed teams and observe which teams/individuals embrace it and which ones don’t.
Every team is different, so tailor the approach for each team and individual reaction accordingly.
8. Look for tangible, practical correlations between their traditional methodology and organizational/team norms and the “new” Agile/Lean methodology and norms that it fosters.
Humans are in general averse to change. Help this by emphasizing some of the things that don’t change, as well as those that do, in order to provide balance and mitigate those “change overload” reactions.
9. Apply Agile/Lean principals practically in the training/mentoring process.
This means practice what you preach, applying and demonstrating Agile/Lean concepts in your own activities. You need to lead by example – Use yourself as an example when possible – i.e. inspect and adapt your own approach, style, training, etc. frequently and demonstrate that to the team.
While no Agile implementation is guarenteed to work, learning from these helpful lessons will certainly push your next attempt towards success. Of course, you can always call up the experts here at Genesis Consulting and let us handle all the difficult parts for you!