What does ‘agile’ really mean?
The word ‘agile’ seems to have become the number one corporate buzzword lately. I get frustrated by the overuse and misuse of this word from organisations that claim to have an ‘agile culture’. The term was first used in the 1970’s by software development project managers, but it has now been widely adopted by organisations of all sizes and across many different sectors.
In reality some organisations that claim to be ‘agile’ are chaotic, working reactively and using agile methodology as an excuse to avoid making decisions. Clients regularly come to me saying their company is ‘agile working’ and it’s not working for them. They feel burned out, stressed, and lacking in direction as a result of trying to deliver in a fast-paced yet confusing and disorganised culture.
The Cambridge Dictionary definition of ‘agile’ is: ‘Able to move your body quickly and easily’ and ‘able to think quickly and clearly.’ For me moving fast while thinking clearly should be at the core of every effective agile working methodology.
Being agile is about being open to change, and feeling confident about making quick decisions based on trustworthy, accurate and up to date information. It is about having a clear strategy in place, yet being flexible enough to adapt your approach in response to any new information.
In a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous) world things change fast, so it’s essential to have a plan. But you can’t just stick to the plan rigidly, regardless of changing environmental factors. Neither can you employ short-termism. Agile working encourages looking ahead at the immediate goals over the next three weeks, and working in sprints to deliver them. But there needs to be a long-term strategy underpinning these goals. Without this foundation, chaos and confusion will reign, and teams will work reactively.
Applying agile principles in the right way means facing challenges in a proactive way through effective regular collaboration, using a continuous cycle of plan - deliver - evaluate.
My own top ten checklist of questions to ask is:
What were last week’s goals?
Did you achieve them? If so, what’s next?
If not, why not - what’s knocking you off course? What is the root cause?
Have any issues or problems been addressed?
Do you need to hang in there and ‘ride the rapids’ or change direction?
If a change of direction is needed, what does this look like?
Has the change of direction been clearly communicated to the team, so everyone understands why it is needed and is on board with delivering it?
Has everyone had the chance to put their views across and be heard?
What are the new goals?
Is everybody clear on who is responsible for delivering what?
Effective agile working is all about becoming more adaptable and open to change, which is one of the core dimensions of resilience. Building resilience can help you to feel confident to challenge back when teams are not working effectively. It can also help you feel more secure and confident in your own abilities to bring about change and adapt quickly when challenges occur.
Is your organisation Agile or Chaotic?!
If your organisation claims to be ‘agile’ ask yourself this question - is it really applying the principles effectively, or is it just parroting the latest business buzzword?
(Title Image by Pexels from Pixabay)