Culture, habit and Agile Transformation

• 40% of decisions people make everyday are not decisions, but habits. (Dr. Wendy Woods).
• Key to changing habits is not willpower, rather it is changing environment.
• Change requires organizational re-learning -- unlearning and learning everything new

Scrum retrospectives - focus on what?

Focus on improving desirable outcomes, not on playing by its rules. Don't focus on how you can improve the implementation of scrum, rather focus on the value delivery. 

Kubler-Ross Model adapted to Agile Transformation

Reference: Jonathan Smart on Medium.com

The Kubler-Ross Curve originated from psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’s work on grief, published in 1969. It has been found to be valid in the majority of situations relating to change and we have repeatedly observed this pattern to hold true via feedback from colleague surveys.

Project management vs Program management vs Portfolio management

Reference: PMBOK, pmstudycircle.com

Project: A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result. Projects cease once their objective is achieved.

Project management: Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques that helps projects achieve their objectives.

Program: A program is a group of related or similar projects managed in a coordinated way to get the benefits and control not available from managing them individually -- program has multiple projects that are similar, closely related.

Program Management: program management is the centralized, coordinated management of a program (inter-related, interdependent projects) to achieve its strategic objectives. Program management strives to:

1. Optimize resource utilization
2. Reduce friction or constraints between projects in program

Portfolio: is a group of related or non-related projects, programs. Portfolio may consist of multiple programs, or "multiple projects with no program at all".

Portfolio Management: is the centralized management of a portfolio to identify, prioritize, and authorize the projects or programs. (Based on organizational strategy, business objectives). Portfolio Management does not oversee any individual project or program.

Enterprise Business Agility - Brad Bennett (EPIC Agile)

Business Agility

Business Agility refers to the ability of businesses to rapidly respond and adapt to market changes (both internally and externally) -- respond flexibly and rapidly to changing customer demands, the ability to react to emerging competitors, shifts in market conditions, and rapid adaption to technology trends. All of this without compromising on quality, lead the change in a cost-effective way, and still be continuously holding competitive advantage (vis-a-vis its competitors).

This Enterprise Business Agility model (certified by ICAgile) comprises the following 7 pillars.  

Customer Centricity / customer seat at the table

a. Do you know who your customer is?

b. Are you engaging your customer (understand requirements and get their feedback early)?

c. Do you engage them regularly?

d. Do you change your roadmap based on the feedback of the customer?

Customer Seat at the Table is the same as Stephen Dennings' Customer Centricity - placing the customer at the center of solutioning.

Lean Portfolio Management

a. Do you have the ability to refresh the portfolio so all your best ideas are on the top?

b. And Bad ideas never get in?

Lean Portfolio Management is applying lean thinking to managing enterprise (agilityhealthradar.com), program and product portfolios to streamline high-value work. This ensures delivering most-high value work is delivered first, while limiting WIP, limiting interruptions, and aligning work to organization's intended outcomes and team capacity. 

Organizational Design and Structure

a. Do you have the ability to be able to redesign your organization based upon the missions and the high priority initiatives that happen?

Delivery Frameworks & Agile Mindset

a. Have you built multiple delivery frameworks (Scrum, Kanban, XP, etc.)?

b. Do you know what framework you are using?
c. How do you build an internal culture and a learning mindset within the organization?

Leadership and Culture

a. Have your leaders gone on the Agile journey?

b. Are they taking this on?

c. Are they embracing in?

Make it Stick (sustaining the change)

a. Do you have a Talent acquisition strategy in an Agile world?
b. Do you have the Capability growthmap for your employees?
c. PR & Comms around Agile happening (within and outside of the organization)?

Adaptive Technology

a. Do you have tech infrastructure in place to enable business agility?