Yesterday, we hosted a Virtual Agile Roundtable to virtually continue our roadshow on agile transformation within companies. Professionals from TCF Bank, 3M, US Bank, Cargill, Target, and others joined in brainstorming different ideas on agile transformations, ways to successfully move towards Agile, and struggles encountered along the way. Below are a few questions and thoughts that the group discussed:
Where companies are at in their journeys:
- Focusing on product vs. Project
- Defining the structure of project teams
- Resetting and restructuring teams if needed for the future
- Spreading agility
- Modernization of different platforms
- Hybrid scrum teams
Is C Suite/top-down action required to erase that perceived barrier of “the business” and “IT”? Has anyone seen a gradual shift through organic means toward self-organizing cross-functional teams?
Companies can break through these barriers in many different ways. One way this barrier is being solved is by focusing on applying coaching to enterprise-wide strategies that require involvement by cross-functional areas. Another way this is being solved is by getting into business operations and the process because the IT side is delivering faster. Support is important for all levels of the business and company. Having constant communication around the company’s values requires both business and IT sides to have frequent conversations.
How has the shift to working remotely changed your journey and current Agile model if at all?
The group agreed that a positive of working remotely had evened the playing field for all team members. Now everyone is working from home rather than having some in the office and some not. Everyone can feel like they are a part of the team. Also, working remotely has helped the culture transformation because everyone has had to come together as one. Another way working remotely has shifted the agile model is by companies re-inventing zoom meetings. Companies have turned two-day in-person Agile training sessions into zoom meetings working as cohort learning models. They are able to have 12-13 people per cohort with all different levels of experience within the organization. The group also noticed that when different teams show big wins, other people want to know about and learn about the successes.
Some future discussion points the group would like to touch on next are what they will do differently when they bring their agile teams back and what company timelines are for re-opening.
Thank you to everyone that attended the event – we look forward to continuing this conversation!