WORKPLACE STRATEGIES LEARNING LAB SERIES: VOL. 4 MAKING YOUR WORKPLACE AGILE

Transcription

1 WORKPLACE STRATEGIES LEARNING LAB SERIES: VOL. 4 MAKING YOUR WORKPLACE AGILE

2 AGILE 101 WHAT IS AGILE? DEFINE, DEVELOP, RELEASE, EVALUATE, REPEAT. With roots back to the 1950s, the Agile Methodology as we know it today was formalized in 2001 with the release of the Manifesto for Agile Software Development. This document outlined the basics of an alternative approach to the traditional, sequential project management style, proposing instead a style that engages a team from start to finish, working together in an incremental, iterative process to drive continuous progress, informed by constant feedback, data and prioritization. The manifesto highlights four core values: Individuals and interactions over processes and tools Working software over comprehensive documentation Customer collaboration over contract negotiation Responding to change over following a plan Scrum is the best-known Agile process framework. Borrowing its name from rugby, the goal is to continuously and consistently move the ball, or project, forward together as a collective team while minimizing the process overhead to maximize productive work time. Teams focus on specific goals, identify a timeline in which those goals will be complete, and meet daily to assess progress and coordinate efforts. Scrum Team ScrumMaster organizes team Product Owner decides what work will be done Development Team 7 +/- 2 people who build the product incrementally Sprint 1-4 weeks Daily team coordination, assessment, and redirect COMMIT Action items Sprint Planning No Change Action Complete WHY AGILE? The nature of work today is increasingly collaborative, team-based, and engagement rich in the pursuit of high performance and innovation. This progression has been influenced in many ways by the digital native workforce, who bring with them a new culture that has helped reshape teamwork and collaborative workstyles for many companies. While developed specifically for the software industry, the Agile approach can be integrated into any organization focused on collaborative results and driving business value.

3 THE TOP BENEFITS OF AGILE AGILE WORKS BEST FOR PROJECTS THAT ARE COMPLEX OR HAVE MANY MOVING PARTS. With accountability and frequent check points, each part of the whole project is managed without being micro-managed. Additionally, this methodology can work well for global companies; with development teams often in many parts of the world and/or outsourcing projects, Agile spreads across cultures. TOP THREE BENEFITS OF AGILE Manage changing priorities Team productivity Project visibility TOP THREE TIPS FOR SCALING AGILE Employ consistent processes and practices Implement common tools across teams Engage Agile consultants or trainers TOP THREE MEASURES OF SUCCESS On-time delivery of projects Product quality Customer/user satisfaction TOP FIVE AGILE TECHNIQUES Daily standups Retrospectives Prioritized backlogs Iteration planning Short iterations WHO IS AGILE? LEADERS While Agile is dominant in software organizations, companies in any industry can apply Agile or aspects of it. While companies such as IBM and Spotify have led the Agile charge, non-tech companies have also successfully applied Agile methods. Software/IT: 52% Marketing/Advertising: 11% Construction: 5% Architecture: 5% Product development: 5% Finance: 4% Education: 2% Event planning: 2% Industrial/Manufacturing: 1% Other: 13% HOW TO MAKE AGILE WORK >

4 AGILIFYING YOUR OFFICE Agile isn t simply about processes and org charts: it s also about physical space. Agile principle #5 reads, Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done. That s not environment in a metaphorical sense, but a very real one: the workplace. So how do you agilify your office? Here are five ways, tied to key Agile principles: DECENTRALIZE TECHNOLOGY Paramount to the success of being Agile is a variety of spaces. Whether it s a huddle room, a pod, or a nook for private conversation, deep-dive collaboration or focused work, these easily accessible spaces must be in close proximity for teammates to connect face-to-face and still access all of the digital tools that power the modern office. The days of oversized, tech-heavy conference rooms are at an end. ONE BIG ROOM That said, there is still a need for one place the entire office can gather. Big Room planning is a fundamental Agile step, ensuring that everyone hears company goals clearly and firsthand. Ideally, such an all-hands meeting would occur at a minimum of every month. Informed by "Dunbar's Number" theory, which suggests that 150 people is the cognitive limit for any individual to maintain stable social relationships, some Agile organizations try to cap office sizes at that number. SCRUM SPACE Daily scrums are opportunities for a team to gather and maintain an ongoing dialog, a time when updates are given and goals reassessed. This could be a fundamental aspect of the team s workspace (see #4) or an immediately adjacent breakout space. Optimum Group Size Theory promotes 5-7 people per team for optimal speed, communication, and commitment. RALLY A perfect example of an Agile-enabled environment, the space is all about function for Rally's people and their work. The design focuses on user comfort and mobility. Flexible, overhead power connections encourage continuous reconfiguration of movable desks to support varied team needs throughout the day and over the life of a project.

5 KIT-OF-PARTS Providing a physical space that each team can manipulate to best fit its needs is essential. The cubicle grid is dead: now it s about movable desks, tables, and whiteboards, a variety of furniture types and storage options, and flexibility. Customization creates a sense of ownership. Developing a set of standardized options allows employee choice, but manages chaos and Facilities headaches. This flexibility helps tackle the Allen Curve, which demonstrates a breakdown in technical communication with increased physical separation. WORK STATION STORAGE Ideal size: 30x60 in Lightweight desks on casters enable mobility and easy team reconfiguration. 5 4 Ideal size: 1-6 cubic ft Minimizing individual storage reduces clutter and encourages mobility. CULTURE OF TRUST WHITEBOARD Ideal size: 6 ft x 36 in (mobile) Multiple smaller, mobile boards as well as larger, fixed, full-height boards are best for the team. Agile puts trust at the center of an organization's culture. When a workplace gives individuals and teams the freedom to use space in ways that are best suited to their preferred work style, that s a fundamental reflection of management that believes in its employees. CA TECHNOLOGIES CA Technologies was impressed with the Agile-enabled work space at their new acquisition Rally (see case, left), and decided to undertake a similar transformation. There are a variety of spaces for focus, meeting, and collaboration, plenty of whiteboard walls and mobile boards, mobile personal storage, and movable, "plug-and-play" desks can be reconfigured as desired or necessary.

6 AN AGILE FLOORPLAN PRINCIPLES IN ACTION OVERCOMING AGILE RISKS Transitioning to an Agile Work Environment with a Change Management Plan can minimize risks and result in significantly higher adoption rates. WHAT MAY CAUSE AN AGILE PROJECT TO FAIL? Company philosophy/ 46% 55% culture at odds with core Agile values Lack of experience with 41% Agile methods 42% Lack 38% cultural of management/ transition support 40% & Inconsistent Agile practices and processes WHAT ARE SOME BARRIERS TO FURTHER ADOPTION OF AGILE? Inability to change organizational culture General resistance to change Pre-existing rigid/waterfall framework

7 WORKPLACE ELEVATED ALLEN CURVE FOR PROXIMITY Decreased distance = increased interaction : applied to break down communications barriers FLEXIBILITY & MOBILITY Guides furniture and tech infrastructure; wheels and slides for quick rearrangement OPTIMUM GROUP SIZE THEORY 5-7 people per team promotes speed, communication and commitment COLLABORATIVE / TEAM SPACES One 4-8 person space for every 3-4 teams ONE BIG ROOM A large, flexible room for training, all hands meetings WHOLE SPACE DUNBAR S NUMBER Build and maintain meaningful social relationships with +/-150 people USEFUL COLLISIONS Major meeting areas between departments and teams to promote cross-functionality and cross-pollination WHY IT WORKS NO BARRIERS Promotes interactions and relationships Places for teams to get together Improves communication Teams in close proximity Increases speed Encourages accountability Blocks of teams by affinity Prevents silos and isolation Provides choice of collaboration space Individuals must negotiate for isolation CENTRALLY LOCATED COMMUNAL AREAS Creates useful collisions Break areas are located in high traffic areas Encourages cross pollination between teams and departments SOLICIT FEEDBACK Utilizes team feedback If it isn t working, let s change it Provide constant value to the Agile team UNITING PEOPLE AND PLACE TO DRIVE WORKPLACE PERFORMANCE. WE is DLR Group s proprietary Workplace Strategy Program. It is built on stakeholder engagement and research, and backed by industry benchmarks and data. PLACE Workplace Optimization WE researches and develops design solutions around macrotrends in the rapidly evolving CRE world of workplace. WE SERVICES Change Management Culture Analysis Design Standards Pilot Studies Happy Employees, High Performance Pre + Post Occupancy Surveys Programming + Needs Assessment Stakeholder Engagement PEOPLE Organizational Change + Alignment SOURCES AgileConnection: Does Agile Work Outside Software? Certified ScrumMaster Course documents cprime: What Is Agile? What Is Scrum? MIT Sloan Management Review: Should You Build Strategy Like You Build Software? ScrumAlliance: Scrum, A Description VeraCode: Companies Worldwide Are Adopting Agile Development Techniques VersionOne: 10th Annual State of Agile Report

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