{"id":36701,"date":"2022-07-06T06:59:49","date_gmt":"2022-07-06T10:59:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centricconsulting.com\/?p=36701"},"modified":"2023-01-26T08:21:14","modified_gmt":"2023-01-26T13:21:14","slug":"how-to-avoid-the-pitfalls-of-agile-transformation-to-ensure-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centricconsulting.com\/blog\/how-to-avoid-the-pitfalls-of-agile-transformation-to-ensure-success\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Avoid the Pitfalls of Agile Transformation to Ensure Success"},"content":{"rendered":"

Agile transformation can help your business thrive, but you have to do it right. We discuss some agile failures you may run into and provide solutions for how you can avoid these.<\/h2>\n
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Are you a leader struggling to execute your company\u2019s agile transformation<\/a>? You\u2019re not alone. According to the State of Agile Report<\/a>, organizations face plenty of challenges in implementing or expanding agile, particularly in environments that \u201ccontinue to be both unpredictable and volatile.\u201d<\/p>\n

In fact, one-third of the survey participants identified 10 or more challenges faced in their business agility adoption journey. The most significant barriers included challenges with organizational culture, resistance to change and lack of organizational support and skills, among others.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Considering these very real obstacles, it\u2019s no wonder that many agile transformations fail. The Gartner State of DevOps Report<\/a> unveiled that 90 percent of organizations fail to realize the full benefit of agile transformation initiatives. Further, companies deem 40 percent of agile transformations \u201ccomplete failures,\u201d as stated by Forbes Insights and MIT Sloan Management Review.<\/p>\n

Reasons for agile transformation<\/a> failure include goal misalignment, not going far enough up the stack and failing to address business concerns. A transformation can also fail when company leaders don\u2019t implement control mechanisms that enable dynamic adaptation to market and environmental changes in a productive and cost-efficient manner.<\/p>\n

\"Agile<\/a><\/p>\n

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If you\u2019re a business executive, your company may have an agile transformation office, and you may have seen or heard program increment planning, retrospectives and product increments discussed in meetings and email memos. However, you may have also noticed there is little to show for the efforts, and your company is still not able to advance in the competition, much less adjust to market changes.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Similarly, if you are an IT executive, you may have observed that although software releases have increased, teams still cannot predict when they will accomplish tasks. Perhaps it\u2019s \u201call hands on deck\u201d after each release to deal with bugs or issues until they\u2019re resolved, usually siphoning a day or two of your staff\u2019s hours as they work through the inevitable fallout. This frequently happens when agile is implemented as a process without pragmatic consideration and adaptation to the context of processes, the environment, and even team members and their willingness to implement change.<\/p>\n

So, what are the next steps when you feel in over your head during your agile transformation? Don\u2019t throw in the towel! Let\u2019s look at a few solutions.<\/p>\n

Improvements Over Transformation<\/h2>\n

Going back to the way things used to be is not a viable solution, and neither is starting over (as many consulting firms will lead you to believe). Many organizations have been involved in agile transformations for a long time. People get tired and burn out. Starting over could counteract enthusiasm and process involvement. And fiscally, there is likely little to nothing left in the budget for relaunching.<\/p>\n

Agile is now mainstream. So, it\u2019s time to focus on targeted improvements over transformation \u2014 continuous systemic and team-level agility improvements as part of ongoing business and operations.<\/strong><\/p>\n

While transformation means change<\/a> \u2013 which can be scary to some people \u2013 improvement also typically means making something faster, easier or more streamlined, which most people embrace. It\u2019s time to let your teams know they can make a difference, starting with addressing the areas that will have the most impact, running targeted diagnostics, and implementing specific improvements to drive positive outcomes.<\/p>\n

Ask Questions About Your Agile Transformation Status<\/h2>\n

To be successful in leading an agile transformation, you need to ask questions and listen as much as you speak.<\/p>\n