5 Truths About Agile No Leader Wants To Hear
Agile is a popular buzzword in the business world today, and for good reasons. It’s proven to be an effective approach for organizations looking to increase their efficiency, productivity, and competitiveness.
But as with any concept, there are realities about agile that many leaders would rather ignore than acknowledge. Here are five truths about agile that no leader wants to hear but are important to know:
1. Agile will not magically fix all your problems
Even the most advanced camera will take a bad photo if you don’t know how to use it. Similar to a camera, fundamentally agile is just a tool. And like any tool, its success depends on the people using it. The agile approach is designed to help teams be more adaptive and efficient with their work, but it won't solve all of your problems on its own. In order for agile to be effective, you need to build it on top of strong leadership, a clear vision, and a commitment to continuous improvement. Without these things, implementing agile methodologies is likely to result in frustration and disappointment.
2. Agile will expose your company’s weaknesses
All agile frameworks and methodologies are typically built on the fundamental agile concepts such as openness to change, transparent communication, frequent inspect and adapt cycles. So when you start putting an agile framework to play, naturally it will point out any less-than-ideal situation that’s happening in your company.
For example, you may discover that your company has a poor communication culture, a lack of collaboration between leaders and their teams, or resistance to change. Although realising these things can be a bitter pill to swallow, by acknowledging and acting on these challenges head-on, you can start to make the necessary changes to improve your situation.
4. Agile won’t fit straight away with your company’s culture
Agile methodologies are not a one-size-fits-all solution. To be effective, they must be customised to fit the unique culture, values, and goals of your organisation. This requires a high degree of planning, compromise, and flexibility, and may involve making changes to your company's existing processes and systems.
For example, you may need to adopt new communication practices, change your team's work structure, or modify your approach to prioritising your work. These changes can be tough, but they are necessary if you want to achieve new goals.
5. Doing agile will make you feel uncomfortable
Implementing an agile framework is a process of change, and change will bring discomfort and challenges. If you're starting an agile transformation and you're not feeling any discomfort or challenges, there’s a good chance you’re doing it wrong.
The goal of agile is to drive continuous improvement and help teams adapt to change. So, if you're not feeling any discomfort, it's likely that you're not pushing yourself or your team far enough to grow. For example, you may need to challenge your assumptions about how work is done, be more open to feedback, or take risks in order to achieve your goals.
Bottomline
While agile is a powerful tool that can drive innovation and business success, it's important to understand the realities of adopting this approach. Making positive changes in a company will require a great deal of patience, good leadership, and a focus on continuous improvement.
But in the end, you don’t make changes because it’s easy, you do it so you and your team can thrive.
Leaders, what changes have you made with your team lately?
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Cover photo: unsplash/@vonvix
