Introduction

A large Fortune 50 company attempted a large-scale agile transformation. After an initial phase of training and assessment, teams were reverting back to old ways of working, and the transformation as

Background

A large international company declared it must become agile, and a transformation group was formed. Trainers and consultants identified core agile practices, training, and a rollout schedule that focused on intensive training and assessment, utilizing a custom maturity model. It became clear after two years that the transformation stalled out, and people were reverting to their old way of working. The transformation group needed a new approach.

Approach

My approach was broken down into two main components. The first was to demonstrate results-oriented transformation by working as a coach within a group within the client organization. My efforts focused on identifying agreed-upon pain points and using agile methods to relieve them while providing metrics to support the improvement.

From this baseline, I worked with the head of the transformation to formalize the same type of engagement throughout the organization. We created a set of guidelines for other coaches to better engage in their areas. We also partnered with a team of executives who were focused on creating rapid results.

Conclusion

By the end of my transformation engagement, we had accomplished a number of things, but the primary one was to save the transformation from stagnation and rejection by partnering with group leaders on measurable improvements.

Some other results include:

• Improving development capabilities of 500 teams
• Providing predictable measures for delivery
• Improved partnership and relations with the CIO
• Sustained desire for transformation going on 3 years
• Wider adoption of technical practices like CI and automated testing
• Blueprint to rapidly onboard teams and projects in under 3 months