Agile organizations

When we use the word agile, we generate ideas related to flexibility, speed, quality, among others.

Can organizations act or represent all these characteristics?

The accelerated pace at which operations are taking place in current times has migrated the ability of organizations to anticipate the future and make long-term bets. This has resulted in shorter strategic cycles, where companies define their strategy for the next 2 to 3 years, rather than 5 to 10 years. Because of this, organizations must not only change their strategy, operations, and culture, but also accelerate and transform the way they deliver new products, services, processes, and software.

The VUCA environment (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) is present in many areas, including the professional one.

This is integrated into a changing context that is a great challenge for companies and requires a series of guidelines from the leaders of the organizations to promote good internal communication.

Its particularity is that it has the ability to define the context of many companies and different sectors and arises, above all, as a consequence of globalization and technological advances.

However, being Agile will allow the organization to create more collaborative work environments, allowing continuous improvement of projects, pursuing the highest quality in delivery.

The Agile methodology is a challenging sounding concept but is much more accessible when analyzed and implemented in stages.

• To get started: Identify a specific business unit that can clearly benefit from a more flexible planning and organizing process and look to implement agile methodologies in that team first.

• For these methods to take hold, employees must have a good understanding of Agile methodology. The Agile method is about removing barriers to ways of working and allowing people to excel in their areas of expertise without getting complicated in the process.

• The stimulus to implement the Agile method has to come from above. Decision makers should serve as an example, demonstrating a commitment to agile practices in a visible and open way by implementing them in their direct teams.

5 Keys to implement agile methodologies

1.- Start with the right project. Is important to select the first projects in which they're applied, to obtain the maximum benefits in the shortest possible time.

2.- Be clear about the role of the team. An Agile project requires a multidisciplinary, self-organized, and self-managed team.

3.- Effort estimation is the key. Is important to realistically estimate task efforts based on their size.

4.- Know and control the restrictions. The restrictions should be strictly maintained and not changed lightly.

5.- Follow-up and coverage of metrics. Metrics are the correct way of managing based on data, not on intuitions.

agile methods

An agile organization will be prepared to modify and adapt its initial plans after discovering a change in the environment or identifying the need to adjust for technical failures or restrictions. The ability to adapt to the reality of a situation is considered the foundation, to continue the path of business competitiveness from the perspective of an agile organization.

Senior management is the one who generally makes the decision to "go Agile", driving the transformation process in the organization. However, organizations may not be ready for such a transformation, often because their culture does not support Agile principles. This is particularly the case in larger organizations, used to operating with long-established processes and where there is often a culture of resistance.

• Increased customer satisfaction: Customer involvement in each project / product stage guarantees greater customer satisfaction.
• Improved employee involvement: Focusing on a single project avoids dispersion and increases employee motivation.
• Cost and time savings: The agile methodology allows you to work more efficiently, since delivery periods are shorter.
• Quickly modification of mistakes: Thanks to partial deliveries (focused on delivering those functionalities that really add value first) and customer involvement, it will be possible to eliminate those unnecessary characteristics of the product.