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?
