Agile comes with a culture and a positive mindset
- Richard
- Jan 8, 2020
- 4 min read
In my last two blog posts I've talked about the frameworks and what agile really is. So I believe now is the time to talk to you about the culture an agile environment can give you.
It happens a lot, people saying that they can't be agile, because they can't sell the customer a project without a deadline. Or developers being nervous of showing the sprint review to their managers, or their managers being anxious to show it to the customer. Agile not working because you never deliver what you promise when you promised it. I've heard it all before. So reading this, where do you think the people that say this can improve?
I guess I gave it away when I said I'm going to be talking about culture, because I feel like that is the area where they all can improve. First of all, you need at least one person within your company that truly believes in agile and who truly understands what it means to be agile. Don't send a random employee on a course, and implement agile because all the big companies are doing it. Instead learn what agile is, believe in it, and find your ambassador within your company. This person will be key in changing your culture. Together you will be able to have a healthy discussion with the people who think agile won't help. You will win these discussions, because you believe in the culture of being agile. They might still be a little bit sceptical, but they will want to try. It is very important every single person in your company embraces the agile way. Whether it be your CEO, your sales rep, your office manager, your support rep or your receptionist. Everybody needs to be on board, not just because you tell them to, but you need to make them want to be on board. And this doesn't mean upholding the old ways and saying you're on board, this means acting on it. So you can't have reviews based upon how many projects someone delivered, or still adding deadlines to projects. Instead you review someone based upon the quality of work they delivered and you set project start times.
Learn what agile is, believe in it
You already have this? Everybody in your company believing in the agile way, and you're still struggling? A very likely scenario. Then why did I just express myself so clearly to get everybody on board? Well, not everybody is on board yet if you only have your own employees on board. You still have your suppliers, your customers and your investors to convince. But if you've made it this far, that shouldn't be too hard, because you strongly belief in the agile way. Tell your customers you will co-create with them, because it takes two to tango. Without them, you won't have a project. Without you, they won't have have a project. So together, you need to make the project work, and that means investing time and resources to the project and to each other.
Make believers out of your customers, so they can start implementing this culture within their company.
The most common comment you'll hear is:
I need to tell my boss when we'll get our project done.
Pushing for that deadline again. But if you're actually agile, you know you will deliver them a working product every single day. So whenever you and the customer agree it's enough, it's enough, and that is when the deadline will be. When you've turned your counterpart into an ambassador but you still get this comment, offer to help them talk to their boss. To help them run agile. Agile is about working together, helping each other and teaching one another, to make something beautiful that everybody loves. So it is in both your interests to spend some time talking to their boss, and it might even help your project. The least you should aim for is some understanding, the maximum you could aim for is transforming their culture. Because if the people or companies involved in your project refuse to go agile, it will hold you back as well. In a later blog post I'll expand on how to run projects while being truly agile.
Agile is about working together, helping each other and teaching one another
Basically it will be the same discussions with the suppliers and investors. Convince them of the power of collaboration, and when everybody is working together, you will succeed in being agile. Because the agile culture is all about working together, commonly misunderstood and used to make one team collaborate more, and thus commonly failing. But if everybody would actually work together, without fear or intent of harming yourself or another person, without ulterior motives to get a bonus or whatever. Instead with the pure intent of creating something together which will make both of you happy, that is when you will get the most beautiful product, the most happy customer and the most satisfying feeling. You can't have people aiming for bonuses or promotions, pushing people down to lift themselves up. That is toxic and will kill your motivation, your project, your team, your product or even your company.
All in all, I think I made it clear why I feel like being agile brings along a culture. And why it needs to be your culture, and the culture of everyone you work with. We're all in this together, so stop pointing fingers, and collaborate and make it better. The world has grown too small, and we need each other.
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