Agile| Why Agile is a Humane Way to Work

Hello there. This article was published in Project Management.com 

Years ago, when I first heard of agile making waves, I was curious enough to pay for a class out of my own pocket to learn more. 

By the end of the two-day session, I knew I wanted to be associated with agile. It wasn’t just its merits that convinced me—it was the basic philosophy of trusting another being, of being open to communication and most of all, respecting another’s opinion. It seemed humane.

In the mad rush of work, all of the above are often sidelined. There’s no time for niceties, no time to respect another opinion; there’s only the ambition to prove another wrong. 

It’s miserable. 

Agile teaches us to be open, trustworthy and make mistakes. Failure isn’t the end of the road; risk-taking and experimentation are supported and bonhomie is encouraged. 

My Experiments With Agile

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As I started working as an agile coach, I brought in the humane side of work. I helped my teams to stop finger-pointing and instead, really talk during stand ups. I tried to liven up the mood by asking team members about the last book they read or movie they watched, and I learned the name of the scrum master’s kid. This helped the team get to know each other as humans. 

I planned games and drew on whiteboards so team members could match the hobby with the individual who practiced it. It was hilarious. Interest grew, not in agile but in knowing each other and building better relationships with team members.

We celebrated birthdays, we talked about failure, trust and anything that would bring out even the introverts and encourage them to join discussions. Everyone’s opinion mattered. The right complexity point during estimations didn’t matter, as long as everyone was talking and participating. 

And our work wasn’t virtual anymore. I would move a story card to completion, draw to celebrate the completion of a goal and use the white board to keep the team motivated with quotes, scribbles and doodles. It got everyone involved. 

Managers soon joined the sessions, sometimes just listening when they were uncomfortable. It allowed team members to be vocal and to think for themselves. Everyone was involved—not because that’s how it should be done, but because it takes time to build that vibe and tribe. 

Why Agile Works

Agile isn’t for measuring KPIs or bringing in ROI. But those results happen, because the team comes together and enjoys working with each other. 

Agile has been written about over and over again, from why it works to why it’s a failing fad. People rarely see the fact that agile has made many organizations humane again. The best way to understand agile is to think about working in a secure, comfortable environment with people you trust. 

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In 2013, Rosabeth Moss Kanter published an article in the Harvard Business Review about how the happiest people seek out the most complex problems. It just makes sense to keep individuals and the team happy at work. 

It can be intimidating to turn around a team struggling with bad quality, low productivity and minimum engagement. But the best fix has always been to get team members to feel engaged, and that their views are heard and their opinion respected. It’s always about people. Once you get that right, the rest is easier. 

I have always had a positive experience with agile. When everybody comes together and believes in it, I have seen change happen. However, the most rewarding experience for me has always been that associates in an organization become humane again. They care about their colleagues, they speak face to face and they handle difficult discussions better. 

What about you? If your organisation has embraced agile, what results have you seen?

2020- Whats in it for us?

Hi and thank you for stopping by. 

Pic: Pexel.com 

2020 has been good start. This is the year I am looking forward to amazing opportunities and life. 

This year the blog will focus on three things: Personal Development, Happiness and Creativity. And yes it will have occasional updates on the process side of project management or Agile. 

No matter what your choice of profession is; these 3 are the basic foundations- personal development, creativity and happiness. 

So, what will I be doing differently now? Every post title comes with a pre-fix of which category it belongs to. So you can choose to read the post or not.

Based on what I write here, my others streams of self expression/social platform will be of aligned as well. Heres how:

YouTube- I started it as a self-learning and experimentation platform for me. This channel is focussed on exactly the same theme as the blog. The goal is obviously to reach out more with the content. 2019 was a great learning for me in this platform. So, postings here are 2-3/month. This year, I hope I can regularize it a bit more and bring in more content. Your support means a lot.

Pic:https://www.instagram.com/somab2014/ 

Pinterest- This is my mood board, learnings, vision board. There’s one board that specifically aligns with this blog in the personal development space and that’s called “INSPIRATION”. If you have the same interest like mine and want a little more push everyday- the board might be just the one. 

Instagram- This was a visual journal for me, personal and just for me. Overtime this stays personal but open to public. From 2020, posts are 2 a week- Monday on Motivation and weekends  a little more personalised J

Twitter- This has been a sore point because I haven’t been as active as I used to be. I will let you know if I really get back on this. For now, I post sometimes, retweet and read up once in a while. 

Facebook-  And the SIPM Page gets a post 1-3/month. I have to rethink how I will interact here, but generally I created the page to repost the blog’s content….however from now on I think I will start posting other interesting links also here. There’s so much to learn, that the platform can be used for sharing amazing works and reads by others. Let me know what do you think? Would you like that? 

That’s my plan for 2020 and thank you once again for being part of this community.  

Happy New Year 2020!

Wishing all of you a Very Happy New Year!

Thank you for being there....if you have just stumbled upon the blog recently or have followed it for years, this has been a journey.  Thank you and I hope 2020 is the year of miracles for you.

Photo by cottonbro from Pixels 

5 Things I Don't Do/Buy Anymore

This month as I clean up the clutter and get ready, its also the time to reassess my own life and see what I can do to get rid off.

The objective is clear, to do more of what I love and want to do than keep on doing things out of habit. So, here you go :)

What are you not doing anymore? 

Is it snowing today?

Its December and yes it’s the season of thinking about whats coming up next, getting ready to write resolutions and wrapping up the year with good cheer.  

It’s also a year gone by.

Here’s what I am thinking- my next year shouldn’t be about asking uncertain questions of things I should have already done. 

It should be plans that work, risks that are taken and thinking beyond what I think I am capable of.  

The reptile brain in all of us , keep us safe. And yes we can still break out of it by following the 5 second rule. This means stop thinking and get going. 

But where are you really going? Do you have a plan? Is it the same plan that you had for the last 5 years? 

For me for anything to work, I have to have a combination of that it has to be done (non negotiable) and I will have do it everyday. One break and my habit goes poof. 

 And no, I am not writing another resolution because I already know what I need to do and why I am failing at it.  And the WHY- remember the why, it always works for me. 

Years ago I took a class where we were told to cut out pictures and quotes and put it in a blank postcard and keep it where we could see everyday ( a mini vision board). I kept it in my car……..yes I saw it everyday. And yes it worked. This year for a while I did something similar and it did wonders for me. Once I started feeling on top of the world, I stopped it. I forgot the work I had to put to feel that way or get things done.  

And yes things are still fine; however I definitely can do better. 

So 3 things for me to start doing again:

1.      Create the vision board/card

2.     Work on it everyday, no breaks

3.     Think about it, look forward to it and create the positive mindset.

It’s that simple and straight forward and new years resolution or not, this needs to be started. 

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What have you been thinking?

(Pic courtesy: Pexels)

Keep your Hustle Thriving| Retain your Custoners

 Stepping into your hustle, business or freelancing initiative happens all the time. To make sure your hustle is actually coming back with the right return of investment getting customers is always a must. What is more important is making sure you retain your readers/customers. 
 
If you don’t have a side hustle but have a blog like me or have a book, a website- this works as well.
 
Acquiring new customers will be a natural side effect of customer retention. Let’s take a look at how you can keep customers coming back every time:
 
1. Go The Extra Mile- As a business trying to succeed in a flooded marketplace, you want to make sure you’re differentiating by going the extra mile for your customers. Whether you’re working with them online or in person, you need to let them know that you’re there to help them no matter what. 
 
This is why customer service is so important. Having a team of dedicated customer service reps  is awesome, but even if its just you trying to do it all- focus on the customers. Your customer service will always give a boost you need, specially when word of mouth is the best marketing you can have.
 
2.     Give Them Freebies-Now this is controversial, because freebies are great for the receiver. For you as the owner, while you don’t want to give away things for free always, you can definitely add something for loyal customers or people who have been with you for a while. Just a little something to say Thank You. 
 
3.     Offer Discounts- Offer discounts to your loyal customers. You don't want to become However, there’s nothing wrong with offering special discounts to customers as an incentive to keep them coming back specially when they  shop over an amount or to simply bosst sale during holiday seasons. Make sure they know that these discounts are just for them! 
 
4.     Come Up With A Compelling Loyalty Program - A loyalty program is further incentive for your audience to come back to you. You could offer free products after a certain amount of purchases, or create a loyalty program that suits your business better. Whatever you do, make sure it’s compelling enough that your audience actually want to come back and use it. 

Picture Courtesy

 
5.     Let Them Know They Matter - You need to let your audience know they matter, and you can do this a number of ways. First, make sure you offer them help and add value in their lives. Answer questions, don’t ignore the details and get involved in discussions on social media . 
 
I have heard so many bad experiences in working with customers, especially around payments. So if you want to verify customers ids, there are services that you can avail. Jumio's identity verification service can verify government IDs so you know who you are working with and don’t have to worry. This will take a load off your shoulders and allow you to give your audience the service that they deserve. 
 
6.     Feature Them On Your Socials-Feature your customers on your social pages and show them proudly showing off their items from you. Not only does this create social proof that will be great for attracting other people to your business, it will make your customers smile as it shows them that you value them. Pictures like this can go a long way to create loyal fans for life and making other people want to work with you. 
 
7.     Ask For Their Feedback- Don’t be afraid to ask for the feedback, most are happy to give.  Some of them may have good pointers when it comes to your service or product, and they will appreciate you taking them seriously. 
 
8.     Share Your Expertise - Make sure you share your expertise. Doing this enables you to establish yourself as an expert in your niche, as well as help others. This is so relevant if your business is on knowledge areas, like dietician, consultants etc. Don’t be shy about letting people in on what you know. Sharing your expertise can definitely mean customers see the value and insight you had when they work with you.