When preparing for an agile transformation, your team will face various challenges. “Know your enemy” rule applies here too – researching and planning will help you avoid some problems on the way and avoid potential negative consequences. The benefits are undeniable. Adopting agile methodologies will result in a reactive approach not only in the field of product development but on each level of the organization’s functioning. It is the straightest way to a creative and stimulating environment in which the members of the team can reveal their full potential in the process.
What are the agile principles?
At the end of the transition process, your organization will be fully in line with agile principles, antagonist to the waterfall development ones. What are they?
- fully satisfactory customer experience;
- attention to technical excellence;
- sustainable development;
- the change-driven product development; being open to improvements on every stage of the project;
- frequent inspections of the requirements and solutions together with the adaptation processes;
- stages of software development closed in iterations – testing the code on every stage; collecting the requirements and planning of the solutions;
- switching from hierarchy to cross-functional teams;
- the quality of the software as the measure of the progress
C-level management approach in agile transformation
Equally, as the team members, the c-level management has to adjust their attitude and approach to the project according to the agile principles. It is a fundamental part of the agile transformation.
The first important step is understanding the agile transformation’s influence on the hierarchy in the project management. The agile methodologies enforce a less formalized structure – the responsibility for the project’s success is partially moved to the developers and other members of the product development team. It may seem to aggravate at first glance, but actually, it gives room for creativity.
If expecting satisfactory results with this methodology, the C-level management should employ a problem-solving attitude, as working with a new methodology can generate confusion at first. Other significant aspects are the simplification of the communication, openness to feedback (even the negative one), and suggestions. The cross-function agile model should encourage the team members to step out of their usual role.