Agile Transformation? Really?

“Agile Transformation”: now there’s a search phrase that can keep you busy on Google for quite a while. But what do we really mean by “transformation”? A quick peek in the dictionary tells us that a transformation involves a change in composition or structure, even a change in character. The word “metamorphosis” is sometimes listed as a synonym.

There is no shortage of folks, myself included, who are willing to help you with your transformation. But if you’re pondering going down that path, it’s a good idea to find out if your organization really wants to change before you get in too deep.

Self-direct, Live Long, and Prosper

I enjoy discussions of the technical theory and mechanics of agile development as much as the next person, but it is the human aspect of what we do that truly intrigues me.  I found out about the Whitehall Studies a couple of years ago while watching a documentary on stress.  In a nutshell, an initial study of British Civil Service workers was done in 1967 that showed a higher incidence of disease and premature death among those in the lower employment grades.  A subsequent study between 1985 and 2004 was conducted to try to figure out why.  Turns out it had nothing to do with income, living conditions, diet, or healthcare.

There were a lot of interesting correlations discovered through this study, but one in particular caught my attention.  Although conventional wisdom said that executives experienced more stress because of their level of responsibility, it wasn’t the executives who were dying young.  The major cause of illness, in fact, was determined not to be high demands, but the combination of high demands and low control.

Just as this lethal mixture described the circumstances under which the subjects of this study were laboring, we don’t have look too far to find organizations (software development or otherwise) whose people are swimming in the same toxic soup.  I’ve known for a long time that well-functioning, self-directed teams are highly productive and loads of fun to work on.  It might not be a stretch now to say that serving on a self-directed agile team that is empowered to control how it gets its work done may even add years to your life!

Who's Driving the Bus?

There are many things I liked about the late Ray Charles. Not only was he a fabulous musician and performer, but he had the capacity to laugh at himself and even capitalize on the fact that he was blind. Ray played a cameo role as a blind bus driver in a movie a few years back, and in his signature scene, he announced, "Next stop, Sunset Boulevard... I guess it's Sunset Boulevard..." Very funny in a comedy, but no so funny if that's the driver for your organization's transition to agility.

The phrase "make sure the right people are on the bus" is a frequently quoted expression in the Agile community that conveys an abundance of wisdom in the context of building and sustaining agile teams. I'd like to suggest that we can expand this metaphor from the team to the organization, and that for an enterprise to successfully transition to agility, it is of supreme importance that the right leader is driving the bus.